The Slovak writer, translator, teacher, bank clerk, politician and columnist Jozef Gregor Tajovský, was born as Jozef Alojz Gregor in the small village of Tajov near Banská Bystrica on 18th October 1874. He was the eldest of ten children to the master craftsman, bootmaker and, for a certain period of time, reeve of Tajov, Alojz Gregor and Anna Gregorová, née Grešková. He spent his childhood years in his native home, which however was not owned by his parents. It was the house of Štafan Greško and Zuzana Grešková, née Murgašová, his grandparents on his mother’s side. His primary education came from the teacher Karol Berger (he also taught another famous native of Tajov, Jozef Murgaš) in Tajov and later in Baská Bystrica. He continued his studies at the teacher training institute in Kláštor pod Znievom (1889 – 1893). Following his graduation, he worked as a teacher in several places (for example, in Horná Lehota, the birthplace of Samo Chalupka), but his opinions that promoted nationalist interests and the way he taught children often brought him into conflict with the Hungarian authorities and was forced to leave the educational system. Between 1898 and 1900, he studied at the Czechoslovak Business Academy in Prague, where he was active in the Detvan academic association. After his arrival from Prague, he worked as a bank clerk in Trnava (1900), Martin, (1901 – 1904) and the Romanian city of Nădlac (1904 – 1910), and later was the head of the Prešov branch (1910 – 1912).
From there he returned to Martin (1912 – 1915). As a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army he was sent to the Eastern Front in late July 1915, where he allowed himself to be captured by the Russians and became an active participant in the foreign resistance movement. In 1917, he became a member of the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia. At the end of World War I, he was in Vladivostok, and from there, in 1919, he travelled home via Japan and the USA to finally settle in Bratislava. He served in the Czechoslovak army as the head of the legion office from 1920 to 1925. After he retired he fully devoted his life to literary activities. During his first stay in Martin, he met his future wife, the writer and fighter for women’s rights Hana Gregorová, née Lilgová. They married in 1907 and their only child, their daughter Dagmar Gregorová-Prášilová, was born in Budapest in April 1916.
Jozef Gregor Tajovský died on 20th May 1940 in Bratislava. His body was taken to Banská Bystrica, from where the funeral procession headed to his native village of Tajov. The place for his final rest was chosen as a symbol. He was buried in the same grave as his grandparents in the local cemetery on 25th May 1940. Thus, his wish to return home and rest with his relatives was fulfilled.
The literary work of Jozef Gregor Tajovský spreads across many genres and a vast number of topics. However, the majority of his texts are set in a village environment. He wrote poetry, short prose, but also plays and is considered to be the founder of Slovak realistic drama. He was an excellent observer and his experience was used in his works without embellishment. He depicted Slovak rural life in its “pure form”, as he remembered it from the times of his childhood and youth. His texts are not only funny, but they also focus on social issues (poverty, alcoholism, domestic abuse, illiteracy and so on) which Tajovský criticised and condemned. His most famous works include: “Maco Mlieč”, “Apoliena”, “Mamka Pôstková”, “Statky-zmätky” and “Ženský zákon”.
Mgr. Peter FILÍN
