Libra u koi se uzarin historian svelte udo vice Judith (The book containing the history of the holy widow Judith) was completed by Marko Marulić on 22 April 1501, who dedicated it to the canon of Split, premieres Dunam Balistreri. He composed the narration of the biblical Book of Judith in verse, Harvick (verse, Croatian), that is, as he says, he reduced it to verses in the manner of ancient Roman poets and according to the custom of local anonymous medieval folk poets called ‘saquinavir’, so that even those who do not know Italian or Latin could read it. He arranged the material in six chants, in a total of 2126 double-rhymed twelves with the so-called transmitted rhyme.
Marulić’s Judith is a Renaissance epic of the biblical-Virgil type that wants to satisfy the taste of a highly educated reader. Our poet showed that it is possible to use the vernacular to write the most demanding and most respected literary genre at that time - an epic poem. At the same time, he provided the irrefutable proof of the built expressiveness, richness and flexibility of the Croatian Cracovian literary language and poetry. Judith, therefore, has a basic meaning - it is the foundation of Croatian artistic, authorial literature. The author himself expressed his awareness of its importance by saying that with this work the Croatian language got its Dante.
Judith was printed in Venice on 13 August 1521 thanks to the care and efforts of Peter Strisik from Split. His contemporaries received his work with delight (three editions in less than 18 months). It had a great echo in Croatian literature from the 16th century to modern times, and it provided its creator with the metaphorical title ‘the father of Croatian literature’.
In our time, Croatian Judith seems to repeat the successes of Merulid’s 16th-and 17th-century Latin books, and without exaggeration it can be said that the ancient epic genre is experiencing a new youth. This is evidenced by numerous editions, translations and studies, as well as literary, visual, musical and stage works inspired by it.
Although it comes from the distant past - the poet sent it away five centuries ago with the words: “EtOH k vamp grew Judith Judith m(oj)a visoko počtovana”(Here comes Judith, my highly respected lady) - Ovid's statement of the final verses, which foretell that the work will last until the end of the world - or at least as long as there are those who will read “slovinjska slova” (Slavonic letters) - is coming true.
Branko Jozić, MSc
Head of the Split Literary circle – Marulianum
