Književni tjednik

Književni tjednik, whose title means “Literary Weekly,” was a Croatian literary and cultural magazine issued in Zagreb during the period of the Independent State of Croatia. It was published by the Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Institute, known in Croatian as Hrvatski izdavalački bibliografski zavod, or HIBZ, a state-era publishing and bibliographic institution founded in August 1941. Pavao Tijan served as the magazine’s editor-in-chief. The periodical began publication on 18 December 1941. Across approximately six months, it produced 21 issues, initially following a weekly schedule before shifting to a roughly biweekly rhythm. Its editorial scope was broader than the title alone might suggest. Alongside literary criticism and reviews of newly published books, it covered theatre, concerts, fine arts, photography, and international literature. The magazine also introduced readers to writers and literary traditions from countries and regions including Albania, Belgium, Bengal, Norway, and France. Književni tjednik published original poetry and short prose by prominent contemporary Croatian writers, among them Tin Ujević, Vladimir Nazor, Ivan Goran Kovačić, and Vjekoslav Kaleb. Its appearance coincided with an extensive HIBZ publishing program that included Croatian literary editions, anthologies, reference works, and periodicals. The institute’s broader literary activity included the Contemporary Croatian Writers series and editions of authors such as Dragutin Tadijanović, Dobriša Cesarić, Đuro Sudeta, Nikola Šop, Fran Galović, and others. The magazine ceased publication on 28 June 1942. The public explanation attributed the discontinuation to a shortage of paper, but Mate Ujević later indicated that the immediate cause was an article regarded by the authorities as anti-fascist. The magazine’s closure has consequently been interpreted in the context of wartime censorship and the cultural politics of the Ustaša regime. The available account further suggests that authorities wanted to remove Književni tjednik and make room for Spremnost, a political weekly closely associated with Ustaša ideology. After the magazine ended, HIBZ launched Vienac, a monthly literary and cultural periodical that sought to continue the tradition of the earlier Vienac associated with Matica ilirska. The postwar establishment of communist Yugoslavia brought the work of HIBZ to an end in 1945, and Književni tjednik was not readily available for academic research during the communist period. The magazine therefore remains a historically significant but short-lived example of Croatian literary publishing under wartime political constraints.

Književni tjednik was created within the publishing program of the Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Institute, or HIBZ, a lexicographic and publishing institution established in Zagreb on 9 August 1941. HIBZ operated during the Independent State of Croatia and was directed by Mate Ujević. Its activities included the publication of reference works, the continuation of the Croatian Encyclopedia, literary editions, anthologies, and several periodicals. The magazine’s first issue appeared on 18 December 1941. Pavao Tijan was editor-in-chief. Although its name identifies it as a literary weekly, the publication had a wide cultural remit. It discussed literature and newly issued books while also reporting on theatre, musical concerts, fine arts, and photography. Its international orientation was visible in coverage of foreign writers and literary cultures, including Albanian, Belgian, Bengali, Norwegian, and French subjects. This combination of domestic literary publishing, criticism, cultural reporting, and international coverage gave the magazine a broader profile than a narrowly specialist poetry or fiction journal. Književni tjednik published work by a number of important Croatian writers active or influential in the period. Its contributors included Tin Ujević, Vladimir Nazor, Ivan Goran Kovačić, and Vjekoslav Kaleb. The magazine appeared alongside HIBZ’s book program, which included the Contemporary Croatian Writers anthology series and substantial editions of works by writers such as Dragutin Tadijanović, Dobriša Cesarić, Đuro Sudeta, Julije Benešić, Milan Begović, Nikola Šop, Ljubo Wiesner, and Janko Leskovar. HIBZ also issued collected and selected works by Fran Galović and other literary and historical publications. The publication history was brief. Over a six-month period, 21 issues were produced. The magazine was initially issued weekly but later became biweekly. Its final issue appeared on 28 June 1942. The official or publicly stated explanation was a shortage of paper, a plausible practical problem in wartime publishing. However, Mate Ujević later described a different underlying cause: an article had been judged anti-fascist by the authorities. On that account, the state’s decision to terminate the magazine was connected to political censorship rather than merely material scarcity. The periodical’s removal has also been associated with an attempt to clear the way for Spremnost, a political weekly aligned with Ustaša ideology. HIBZ subsequently launched Vienac, a monthly that revived the name and cultural tradition of an older Croatian publication associated with Matica ilirska. Vienac ran in 1944 and covered literature as well as fine arts, philosophy, economics, and natural sciences. Its own editorial controversies reportedly placed HIBZ under pressure, demonstrating the constrained environment in which the institute’s cultural publications operated. The end of the Second World War brought a decisive institutional break. With the establishment of communist Yugoslavia in 1945, HIBZ’s work was stopped. Književni tjednik was not generally available for academic research during the communist era, which limited later study of its contents and historical role. Today, it is best understood as a short-lived Croatian literary and cultural periodical whose editorial range and literary contributors were significant, but whose existence was curtailed by the political and material conditions of wartime publishing.

• 1945

  HIBZ work halted

  [1]Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  The Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Institute ceased operating after the creation of communist Yugoslavia.

• 1942

  Publication changes from weekly to biweekly

  [1]Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  The magazine initially appeared weekly and later shifted to a biweekly schedule during its short run.

• 1942

  Final issue

  [1]Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  The 21st and final issue was published on 28 June 1942. Paper shortages were cited publicly, while a later account connected the closure to censorship.

• 1941

  First issue published

  [1]Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  Književni tjednik began publication in Zagreb on 18 December 1941, with Pavao Tijan as editor-in-chief.

A broad literary and cultural weekly intended to connect Croatian readers with contemporary domestic writing, newly published books, the arts, and selected foreign literary cultures. Its publishing context was shaped by the wartime Croatian state and the institutional program of HIBZ.

• Literary and cultural magazine · 1941

  Književni tjednik

  A Croatian literary and cultural periodical published from 18 December 1941 to 28 June 1942. It covered literature, new books, theatre, concerts, fine arts, photography, and foreign literary cultures. The magazine published poetry and short prose by writers including Tin Ujević, Vladimir Nazor, Ivan Goran Kovačić, and Vjekoslav Kaleb. Twenty-one issues appeared, first weekly and later biweekly.

• 1942

  Closure amid alleged anti-fascist censorship

  Although the magazine was ostensibly discontinued because of a wartime paper shortage, Mate Ujević later stated that the authorities objected to an article they regarded as anti-fascist. The closure has also been linked to efforts to make space for Spremnost, a political weekly associated with Ustaša ideology.

  Source

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• 1942

  Shift from weekly to biweekly publicationStrategy

  Background

  The magazine began as a weekly periodical but operated under wartime publishing conditions.

  Action taken

  Its publication frequency was reduced to a biweekly schedule during the run.

  Aftermath

  Twenty-one issues were published before the magazine ended on 28 June 1942.

  Source

• 1942

  Termination of publicationOther

  Background

  The periodical operated in a wartime political environment and was publicly said to be affected by a shortage of paper.

  Action taken

  HIBZ ended Književni tjednik after 21 issues.

  Aftermath

  A later account attributed the decision to official objections to an allegedly anti-fascist article; HIBZ subsequently published Vienac instead.

  Source

• 1941

  Književni tjednik begins publication[1]Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The literary and cultural magazine issued its first number on 18 December 1941 under the Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Institute.

1. 1Croatian Publishing and Bibliographic Instituteen.wikipedia.org