In my Master Thesis I deal with the topic of illnes in contemporary Slovene youth novels. In the introduction I define the terms youth literature and youth novel as well as the genre, and introduce the socio-psychological youth novel (Dragica Haramija) and the youth problem novel (Gaja Kos) in more detail. I also deal with the taboo topics in youth literaure and list them. Having analyzed "Priročnik za branje kakovostnih mladinskih knjig"* from 1991 to 2014, I found out that in Slovenia nineteen authors dealt with the topic of illness in literature and twenty-eight novels were published. The most prolific year was 2009 when six novels were published. I analyzed seven contemporary youth novels by different authors which share a common topic of illness (lung cancer, eating disorder, eyesight problems, depression, disability, AIDS and multiple sclerosis). The results of analysis have shown that novels deal with a certain illness which a youth faces. The plot is set in urban environment at the time of growing up. The authors deal with illness systematically and also consider the influence of the family and the youth's wider environment. The endings of the novels indicate a better, bright future despite the topic of illness. However, the bright future is not possible without the help of parents, friends and appropriate institutions.
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