Mate Balota: Difference between revisions

Mirković is one of the most appreciated Croatian dialect poets.<ref name="Brucke"/> Beside poetry, he is also known for his novelsnarrative and nonfiction books, and for his works on economy. He published many discussions, books and textbooks on the theory of foreign and domestic trade, industrial policy, national economy, history of economy and economics of agriculture, publishing such works as ''Trade and Domestic Trade Policy'' (1931), ''Foreign Trade Policy'' (1932), ''Industrial Policy'' (1936), ''Agrarian Policy'' (1940), ''Economic Structure of Yugoslavia 1918–1941'' (1950) and ''Economic History of Yugoslavia'' (1958).<ref name="hrv"/><ref name="istr"/>

His best known work of poetry is the collection ''Dragi kamen'', published in Zagreb in 1938 and named after the 1931 poem,<ref name="istr2">{{cite web|title=Susreti na dragom kamenu|url=http://istra.lzmk.hr/clanak.aspx?id=2620|publisher=[[Istrian Encyclopedia]]|access-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://archive.vn/EQ4o9|archive-date=22 March 2021}}</ref> which was later published in several more editions. Described as a nostalgic experience of Istria, [[Susreti na dragom kamenu|a meeting named after the book]] is held in Rakalj since 1968, in Mirković's honour.<ref name="hrv"/><ref name="istr"/> Among his other books there are ''Stara Pazinska Gimnazija'' and ''Puna je Pula'', the latter a monograph in which Mirković combines fiction with documentary work. These [[Literary realism|realist]] novelstexts depict life in the Istrian villages, with both the Istrians' happy and tragic moments.<ref name="hrv"/><ref name="istrianet">{{cite web|title=Mirković, Mijo (Miho, pseud. Mate Balota)|url=https://www.istrianet.org/istria/illustri/mirkovic/index.htm|publisher=Istrianet|access-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://archive.vn/JEG1f|archive-date=4 July 2013 }}</ref> His only novel is ''Tijesna zemlja: roman iz istarskog narodnog života'' (1946), an economic and social study in which he portrays life in an Istrian village from the second half of the 19th century until the 1940s, following the life of a family through three generations.<ref name="hrv"/><ref name="istr"/>

Mirković had decided to go study in Frankfurt, because there were stored the manuscriptmanuscripts of Vlačić (Flacius), who he considered the "greatest Istrian of all time."<ref name="istrianet"/> His studies of Vlačić's manuscripts in Frankfurt later resulted in his extensive and well-documented work on the reformer.<ref name="istrianet"/> In the [[interwar period]] he worked as a substitute professor in several places throughout former Yugoslavia, including the Trade Academy in [[Osijek]] and the Maritime Academy in [[Bakar]]. He taught at the [[Subotica Law School]] (1928-39) and at the [[University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics|Belgrade School of Economics]].<ref name="hrv"/><ref name="istr"/> Mirković also visited many European universities and scientific cultural centers.<ref name="istr"/><ref name="business"/><ref name="hrv"/>

The 1930s were an extremely fruitful decade for Mirković. At this time he intensively studied the life and the works of [[Matija Vlačić Ilirik]], publishing ''Flacius'' (1938); ''Matija Vlačić'' (1957); ''Matija Vlačić Ilirik'' (1960). A monograph resulting from these studies, ''Matija Vlačić-Ilirik I–II'' was published posthumously.<ref name="hrv"/><ref name="istr"/> Mirkovic's interest in Labin native Flacius reportedly dated back to his childhood, and it might have been transmitted to him by his mother, who was originally from [[Skitača]], in the [[Labinština]].<ref name="istrianet"/>

During the [[Second World War]] he completed his only novel ''Tight Country. A novel from Istrian folk life'', or ''Tijesna zemlja. Roman iz istarskog narodnog života'' (1946). He united documentary and fiction works in his ''Puna je Pula'' (1954). Another well known book by MirkovicMirković is ''Stara Pazinska Gimnazija'' (1950). MirkovicMirković's [[Verismo (literature)|verist]] novelsworks depict life in the Istrian villages, with the Istrians' happy, sad and tragic moments.

Mirković's feuilleton and travel books, so far "an insufficiently valued part of his oeuvre",<ref name="istr"/> confirm him as one of the most prominent Croatian writers in the middle course of the [[Croatian literature]].<ref name="istr"/> The thematic of his travelogues is somewhat complementary to BalotaMirković's work ofin other genres. The thematic framework of his work consists of "social peasant misery, love themes, betrayal and the destinies of emigrants," as well as "travel, the sea, the world of childhood [...] ideological choice and commitment."<ref name="istr"/> His other notable works of prose include ''Proza i poezija'' ("Poetry and Prose"), 1959, the drama ''Smrtni grijeh'' ("Mortal Sin"), 1964, ''Selected Works'' (with N. Pavić, P.Ljubić and [[Drago Gervais]] in the edition ''Five Centuries of Croatian Literature'', 1973) and a selection from the work ''Na crvenoj istarskoj zemlji'' ("On the Red Istrian Land"), 1979.

Today, there is a street or square dedicated to Balota in most towns of the Kvarner and Istria, and in cities such as [[Rijeka]], [[Zadar]] and [[Pula]]. The Faculty of Economics and Tourism "Dr. Mijo Mirković" in Pula owes its name to Mirković.<ref name="istr"/> Rijeka's Mijo Mirković School of Economics is also named after him.<ref name="eko">{{cite web|title=Ekonomska škola Mije Mirkovića Rijeka (official website)|url=http://ss-ekonomska-mmirkovica-ri.skole.hr/|publisher=Ekonomska škola Mije Mirkovića Rijeka|access-date=21 March 2021|archive-url=https://archive.ph/TQrfY|archive-date=27 September 2015}}</ref>