Pijanac

"The Drunkard" is a folk book published in 1869 in Zagreb by the Society of St. Jerome (Croatian Catholic Society for the Propagation of Folk Books). The author Mijat Stojanović (1818–1881), a famous Slavonian pedagogue, ethnographer and folk writer from Babine Greda, adapted it from the German original by I. A. Stelzig for Croatian readers.

The work is a classic moral-didactic tale of the 19th century that vividly and in simple folk language depicts the ruin of a man and an entire family due to drunkenness. The fate of the main character highlights the social, health and moral consequences of alcoholism, with a clear lesson about sobriety, work and Christian virtues. The style is conversational, close to folk lore and everyday life in Slavonia, which enabled Stojanović to reach broad peasant strata.

The book belongs to a series of educational publications of the Society of St. Jerome, which in the second half of the 19th century sought to raise the morale and literacy of the Croatian people and to fight against the widespread social vice – alcoholism.

The Drunkard has significant antiquarian and bibliographic value. It is a rare folk book from the early period of Croatian folk literature, when such publications were crucial for the spread of literacy and national consciousness among the peasantry. Most copies from that time have not been preserved in large numbers because the books were read until they were read in villages and public libraries.

Copies in excellent condition are extremely rare on the antiquarian market and represent a sought-after rarity for collectors of 19th-century Croatian books, especially those related to the Illyrian Revival, the work of the Society of St. Jerome and public education. It has high documentary and bibliographic value for museums and private collections.