PREEREN, FRANCE

born Dec. 3, 1800, Vrba, Slovenia died Feb. 8, 1849, Kranj the outstanding Slovene poet of the Romantic movement. Preeren studied law in Vienna, where he acquired the familiarity with the mainstream of European thought and literary expression that, through him, reinvigorated Slovene literature. He later held posts in Ljubljana and Kranj as a civil servant and lawyer. His life was one of struggle and disappointment, and in 1835 the sudden death of his close friend Matija Cop and an unhappy love affair brought him to the verge of suicide. Although Preeren was not a prolific writer, his work gave new life to Slovene literature, the development of which had been checked by political and social conditions. The themes and prosodic structure of his verse set new standards for Slovene writers, and his lyric poems are among the most sensitive, original, and eloquent works in Slovene. In his Sonetni venec (1834; "Garland of Sonnets"), inspired by his unhappy love, as in his later lyrics, he expresses the national consciousness that he sought to stimulate in his compatriots. He also wrote satirical verses (1845) on contemporary literary conditions in Slovenia. The epic poem Krst pri Savici (1836; "The Baptism by the Savica") treats the conflict between paganism and the early Slovene converts to Christianity and illustrates Preeren's patriotism, pessimism, and resignation.