Moja djeca I: Dva života od kolijevke do groba – Zapisci i razmišljanja

The work of the Slovak writer and cultural activist Elena Maróthy-Šoltés is composed of autobiographical notes in which the author follows the lives of her children from their birth to their premature death. The Croatian edition of the book was published in two parts, the first of which includes the initial part of this moving life testimony.

The work was created on the basis of personal diary notes that the author kept during a long period of family life. At the center of the narrative are her daughter Elenka and son Ivan, whose upbringing, education, character traits and life paths the author describes with exceptional emotional honesty. The book begins with scenes of childhood, family joys and everyday experiences, but gradually develops into a deep reflection on the transience of life, parental responsibility and human suffering.

The special value of the work is the combination of autobiography, diary and psychological prose. Šoltésová does not only depict events but also her own feelings, fears, hopes and inner struggles. Her motherhood becomes the central theme through which she examines the meaning of life, family relationships and human destiny. The style is marked by warmth, introspection and emotional depth, which is why the book is considered one of the most important autobiographical achievements of Slovak literature.

In addition to the personal dimension, the work also provides a valuable overview of the social and cultural conditions of Central European bourgeois society at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. As a prominent representative of the Slovak women's movement, Elena Maróthy-Šoltésová unobtrusively raises issues of the position of women, the upbringing of children and the role of the family in society in her writings. My Children is therefore not only a family chronicle but also a universal testimony of love, loss and the lasting connection between parents and children.