Marja Boršnik, first lady of Slovenian Slavic studies

Marja Boršnik was a trailblazer in Slavic studies, dedicating her life to advancing the field with her comprehensive and ambitious vision. When she joined the discipline over a quarter of a century ago, her program was groundbreaking, extending beyond traditional boundaries. She aimed to revise outdated assessments of recent literature and systematically explore the century's literary landscape, which had only been partially reviewed.

Boršnik was committed to engaging professionals of all ages and backgrounds. She developed a meticulous plan to examine every literary era and period, forming expert groups to contribute to a balanced and qualitative understanding of these phenomena. This work was intended to lay the foundation for future literary history and the establishment of a literary history institute.

Despite facing significant challenges, Boršnik's contributions were vast. She published a series of selected works, including collections of Vida Jerajeva's poetry and multiple volumes by Zofka Kvedrova, Tavčar, and Aškerac. Her detailed and laborious work on these publications, particularly Tavčar's, required extensive time and effort. She also edited the first selection of Tavčar's works in *Klasje*, a journal she co-edited until its 17th issue, and initiated the Slavic Library series, including her book on Dr. Fran Celestin.

Throughout her career, Boršnik remained committed to her principles, refusing to compromise on her values. She worked tirelessly to support and mentor others, recognizing the systemic challenges that many talented individuals faced. Her dedication to Slavic studies and her unwavering commitment to justice and truth have left an indelible mark on the field, inspiring future generations of scholars.

"In a room for seven to eight mothers with seven to eight babies of the same age, life was quite difficult. I will not talk about these horrors."

She was imprisoned again after giving birth, when her child was only four months old. According to Italian law, she should have been arrested only after six months, giving her time to escape to the partisans. However, the Italians anticipated this and thwarted her plan.

"If you ask me which of my works I think is the most important, I would say Cankar. As Cankar once declared to Kristi Schuler that she was his favorite poet, my favorite poet is also my daughter. From then on, my life changed significantly, not only because of childbirth, but mainly because of work."

After holding sixteen different positions—substitute, teacher, inspector, professor—across various schools in Ptuj, Ljubljana, Leskovac, and Celje, and at the Ministry of Education, Boršnik finally joined the University in 1948.

"My published work consists of twenty years of thorough literary-historical and literary-theoretical preparation, of which only fragments that were allowed by censorship were published, and thirteen years of school work restricted by all the political regimes of the time. Persecuted as a Marxist or a democrat, exiled to Serbia, subject to disciplinary investigations, I was condemned for many years, despite my excellent professional qualifications, to teaching only in the lowest classes..."

"Today, no superman can rule, only an all-man. I don't want to be a diplomat—I want open cards. As long as I live, I am a communist, a member of the ZK since 1941. Persecuted before the war from 1931 (in Siberia). I had five scholarship applications rejected, spent seven years in the provinces, and thirteen years in high school. I was sentenced to twelve years in prison, imprisoned while pregnant and with a baby, and had no job with another child on the way.

After the war, I did not accept a single empty tin box as a gift. Never received any reward. I requested a four-month scholarship for Paris and, for the first time in my life, received a one-month scholarship—so that Rupel, who had been abroad every year after the war, could also go. I starved to make it through another month. The purpose does not justify the means to me. Today, there is no occupation; today, the fight does not go to the sharp end. We build, we do not tear down. Life develops in contradictions, including my life. I value an open fight with honest weapons: criticism, discussion. I love open, honest enemies and hate treacherous, unlettered friends. The real enemy is also a part of me—my contradiction, which I need as my corrective. I can't stand injustice—it makes my spine sore. I have a right to my own life, as everyone has to theirs.

I am not immutable; I work according to my own conscience. I can be convinced, but I can't be led around. If I am the head of the institute, I am responsible for everything that happens in it and in connection with it. No thing and no person can be set up or removed without my knowledge and my consent. I must be sure that everything that is happening is correct and fair. If, through no fault of my own, obstacles are thrown in my way from inside or outside, I will resign immediately. I am not bound anywhere.

The institute is not a kingdom—it is a republic. I'm not a king—I'm just a minister, president by the will of the people. Each of you is jointly responsible with your criticism directly to my face. Discussion, criticism, and struggle are neither anarchy nor indiscipline. Just work, not sabotage. I will fight for first-class professionals and talents."

"When I joined Slavic studies over a quarter of a century ago, my program was ambitious and comprehensive. It involved not only revising previous evaluations of our recent literature—often either underestimated or overestimated—but also a systematic overhaul of our century, which had only been partially reviewed. This vision exceeded the faculty program's boundaries.

I sought to engage professionals of all types and ages, developing a plan to thoroughly examine all our eras and periods. I aimed to assemble groups of experts to systematically review these periods, ultimately contributing to a balanced and qualitative understanding of individual phenomena. This would form the foundation for a future literary history institute.

Many climb at the expense of others, often more talented but less assertive. Most talents are lost in the commercial grind, unable to realize their unique vocations. So many get lost when they can no longer find suitable work, especially those born for scientific and institute work. Each loss feels like a part of me going numb."

"I published a series of selected works, including the first collection of poet Vida Jerajeva's works with a study of Vred, and seven books by Zofka Kvedrova. Unfortunately, the eighth book couldn't be published due to the war, even though it was already prepared.

To illustrate my workload: I published two books of Aškerac, eleven books of Tavčar—detailed and time-consuming works with notes—and more of Tavčar's selected works. The first selection of Tavčar's works was published in *Klasje*, which I edited until the 17th issue. I also published the first book of Tavčar and the fourth of Cankar in *Klasje*.

Additionally, I designed the Slavic Library, which included my book on Dr. Fran Celestin. Despite my efforts to engage my colleagues in this project, I had limited success. However, I did receive a significant work—Silva Trdinova's *Verbal Art*, which reached its third or fourth edition—and two bibliographic indexes: the index of Prijateljev Kersnik and Cankarjev's *Collected Works*, edited by Izidor Cankar."