Novačan and Prežih on Paris

Abstract

This article discusses Anton Novačan and Prežihov Voranc, who, in different historical periods, spent time in Paris, once the world capital of art. Novačan was there as a student, Prežih as a Profintern agent. Two of Novačan’s literary sketches from his collection Samosilnik take place in Paris, while Prežih described his experience in two reflections in his collection Borba na tujih tleh. Prežih and Novačan travelled a lot and were very knowledgeable, which is reflected in both of their works. In Novačan’s works we can observe his stylistic innovative­ness as well as his imitation of contemporary literary trends, and in Prežih’s works we find descriptions of the life of various social classes in the large city. The purpose of this article is to present the influence of the cultural capital Paris on two writers of different social classes and political beliefs, and consequently on Slovenian literature, while showing the perspective of a writer from the cultural periphery on Parisian life and the cultural scene.