Sapfine Goriške poti

Abstract: This paper focuses on classical literary tradition in the Slovene regions of Goriška and Primorska by analysing three works written in Sapphic stanzas, a very rare verse in Slovene poetry: a religious poem by Father Andrej Jožef Lavrin, published in an 18th-century multilingual poetry collection; an extract from a 19th-century comedy by educator Anton Klodič Sabladoski; and three lyric poems by 20th-century classical archaeologist and art historian Vojeslav Molè. Although none of the authors rose to fame, their works show interesting viewpoints and trends in literary expression in the Western Slovenian regions. All of them received classical education, which they regarded as common ground in their multicultural circles and an aesthetic principle that guided them throughout their busy lives. Their love for classical culture, which built their self-confidence and refined their taste, went hand in hand with their efforts to promote the Slovene language and with their cosmopolitan identities.