Razvoj hrvatskog narodnog pjesničtva: Književno-poviestne razprave

The Development of Croatian Folk Poetry is a work by Croatian writer, publicist and cultural worker Peter Grgec that provides an overview of the origin, development and meaning of Croatian oral literature. The book is intended as an accessible but substantial overview of folk poetry, one of the fundamental expressions of Croatian cultural identity and historical memory.

The study presents a synthesis of the development of Croatian folk poetry as one of the most important foundations of national culture. Starting from the oldest oral forms, the author traces the origin and development of lyrical, epic, heroic, historical and customary poems that have lived for centuries in the collective memory of the Croatian people. Special attention is paid to the role of oral tradition in preserving language, cultural identity and historical consciousness in periods when there were no strong political or state institutions that would carry national continuity.

The work does not only view folk poetry as a literary phenomenon, but also as a reflection of social conditions, everyday life, religiosity, customs and moral values ​​of different Croatian regions. The themes of love, family, work, warfare and heroism are analyzed, as well as historical events that have left a mark on collective memory and become part of oral tradition. A special place is occupied by poems related to the battles against the Ottomans, border guard life and national heroes.

The author emphasizes that Croatian folk poetry was an important source of inspiration for Renaissance writers of the 19th century and that it significantly contributed to the formation of modern Croatian literature and the national idea. The book emphasizes the connection between Croatian oral heritage and the European romantic interest in folklore, but also its peculiarities arising from the Croatian historical and cultural experience.

Published during World War II, the work is both a literary and historical study and testimony of a time in which folk creativity was emphasized as an important symbol of national identity. Today it represents a valuable overview of Croatian oral tradition and its place in the development of Croatian culture, literature, and historical consciousness.