The role of the Faculty of Arts at University of Ljubljana in the development of children's literature 1919-2019

Blažič, Milena (author), Iseni, Arburim (author)

The aim of this article is to discuss the century-long development of Slovenian youth literature from the point of view of youth literature studies. The Faculty of Arts, founded in 1919, played a leading role in this process. In the initial period, between 1919 and 1941, the article focuses on three PhDs who were important in the field of youth literature (Marja Boršnik, Kristina Brenk and Zlata Pirnat Cognard). In the central period, 1945-1991, it deals with the emergence of the youth literature system, which, through youth librarianship, fairy tale classes and study sections in libraries, became a subject of teaching at the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Education at the University of Ljubljana and gradually at all four Slovenian universities, where the subject is taught by PhDs and PhDs from the Faculty of Arts. In the third period, the article deals with the institutionalisation of YA literature at universities (1991-2004), from Helga Glušič's initial teaching of YA authors at the Faculty of Arts, to the first PhD students (M. Kobe, I. Saksida, D. Haramija, etc.). The article concludes with the role of the Faculty of Arts in the emergence of Slovenian youth literature in four periods (1919-1941, 1945-1991, 1991-2004, 2004-2019). The findings of the article confirm that Kristina Brenk founded the youth literary system, that fairy tale illustrators drove the development of picture books, and that Svetlana Makarovič became a leading youth author. An original contribution in the form of poetry books and treasured poetic forms is the work of (youth) poet and researcher Boris A. Novak.

• Language: English
• Keywords: youth literature, Faculty of Arts, Kristina Brenk, Svetlana Makarovič, Boris A. Novak, fairy tale illustrators
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 46–57
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183147
• UDC: 821
• ISSN on article: 1857-8187
• COBISS.SI-ID: 280025603

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC BY je naveden na pristajalni strani članka (glej izvorni URL zgoraj) (Datum opombe: 5. 6. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 05.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Anglisticum
• Publisher: Association-Institute for English Language and American Studies, Tetovo, North Macedonia
• ISSN: 1857-8187
• COBISS.SI-ID: 114314499

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: mladinska književnost, Kristina Brenk, Svetlana Makarovič, Boris A. Novak, književnost