Djela 7: Ličnosti, problemi i pejzaži

The seventh volume in the 17-volume critical edition of the Works of A. G. Matoš (1935–1940). Like the previous volumes, the literary legacy was collected by Matoš's brother Milan Matoš, and Antun Barac edited the texts according to philological principles — comparison of variants, orthographic adaptation and concise notes. The volume brings together Matoš's essays, portraits, cultural criticism and landscape impressions, mostly written in the form of feuilletons and magazine articles.

The title accurately reflects the content: personalities (portraits of writers, artists and public figures), problems (social, cultural and literary challenges of Croatian and European reality) and landscapes (vivid travel and natural descriptions that serve as symbols of the spiritual state). Here Matoš continues the style of Impressions and Our People and Regions, but with an even more pronounced emphasis on personal judgments, polemics, and the synthesis of lyrical impression with intellectual analysis.

The texts are rich in erudition: Matoš comments on contemporary literature, art, and politics, compares Croatian conditions with European ones (especially French and German), criticizes provincialism, dilettantism, and moral decadence, and promotes aesthetic and national ideals. The landscapes are not just descriptive — they become metaphors for internal states or social conditions, typical of Matoš's impressionistic approach. The portraits are psychologically penetrating, often ironic or polemical, while the analysis of problems shows his engaged, Starčevićian, and anticlerical stance.

In the context of Barč's entire publication, the seventh volume further rounds out the image of Matoš as a versatile intellectual: after prose, lyrics, travelogues, and criticism, his role as a chronicler of the era comes to the fore here. The work is important for understanding Matoš's worldview — cosmopolitan, patriotic, critical, and aesthetically demanding. Barč's 1938 edition saved these texts from oblivion and made them part of a systematic collected opus.

Today, Persons, Problems, and Landscapes is read as a valuable document of Croatian modernity: a testimony to the cultural and social struggles of the early 20th century, Matoš's European spirit, and his ability to elevate literary journalism to the level of true art. The collection highlights his influence on later generations (e.g. Krleža) and remains relevant because of its universal themes — the conflict between ideals and reality, the role of the artist in society, and the search for authentic expression. This is essential reading for a full understanding of Matoš's rich and diverse oeuvre.