Current forms of the Slovak biographical novel (taking into account the Czech context)

Abstract

The article is based on theses about the conjuncture of biographical novels in Slovak and Czech literature in the past decade. One of the goals of the article is to check the validity of the stated opinions. After a general inventory of who and what contributed to the collections of Czech and Slovak biographical novels from the 1920s to the beginning of the 21st century, more detailed attention is paid to the current forms of the Slovak prose novel, i.e. to three books representing it. Specifically, the titles of Ľ. Juríka Alexander Dubček, S. Lavríka Nedeľné šachy s Tisom and D. Fulmekové Konvália. Their interpretive analysis leads to the identification of what they have in common and the determination of their specific features and contribution to Slovak literature. In the conclusion, it is stated that in the Czech Republic, the thesis about the conjuncture of the genre in question has not been confirmed in recent times, because the author’s interest in it has remained roughly at the previous level. However, the increase in biographies of various concepts, i.e. not only fiction, but also literary-factual, journalistic or professional, is indisputable. In Slovakia, however, the same period brought significantly more biographical novels. However, it is not just about the quantity, at least the proses selected for more thorough reflection mostly.