Meeting with Du\u0161ica Kunaver<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most important and emotionally strongest encounters was with the doyenne of Slovenian literature, Mrs. Du\u0161ica Kunaver, author of more than 200 books and editor of over 800 books and publications, daughter of Andrej Zlobec, a soldier of the Serbian army in the First World War, in the units of General Rudolf Majster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks for this meeting, Savi\u0107 and Jak\u0161i\u0107, who were accompanied by historian Nikola Milovan\u010dev, owe to Mrs. Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107, a diplomat from Ljubljana, niece of Mrs. Kunaver and granddaughter of Andrej Zlobec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Du\u0161ica Kunaver is a great Slovenian writer, editor, translator, ethnologist, and publicist. For her work, she received numerous awards, among them the prestigious title Slovenian Woman of the Year<\/em>. She is also the recipient of the state award for lifetime achievement in education (1995) and the Medal of Merit for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (2024). She is the author of the monumental work 100 Most Distinguished Slovenians<\/em>, which has found its place in numerous schools and libraries as a valuable reference on Slovenian cultural and national heritage. This renowned writer also read the text about Savi\u0107\u2019s book on Serbian portals IN4S and Tamo daleko<\/em>, and authorized her family to deliver to the author photographs of her father Andrej Zlobec and his memories of General Majster and his Serbian volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Du\u0161ica Kunaver spends her retirement days in the \u0160i\u0161ka nursing home, tirelessly reading and arranging numerous texts for publication. In the green garden of the nursing home, smiling and dressed in bright colors, she welcomed the writers from Belgrade. In a cordial conversation, she clarified many details from the life of her father Andrej Zlobec and gave full support to the publication of the book about General Rudolf Majster in Serbia, also suggesting its translation into Slovenian, in which author Savi\u0107 devotes an entire chapter to Andrej Zlobec. The guests from Belgrade presented Mrs. Kunaver with a copy of the book, to which she wished them luck in their further work and offered all support and assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mrs. Du\u0161ica Kunaver also sent a message to the participants and visitors of the promotion of the book Un(justly) forgotten \u2013 dossier on General Majster and his Serbs, erased from history<\/em> in the diocesan hall of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Ljubljana, which reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the daughter of Andrej Zlobec, a fighter of Rudolf Majster, I cannot speak of this from my own experience, since I was not yet in this world. It has been 40 years since my father\u2019s death\u2026 Nevertheless, the common desire of us all is that history, today\u2019s history, be presented as much as possible exactly as it happened, and as it is written in this book. And forgive me that I can no longer think and speak as I once could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who was Andrej Zlobec?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrej Zlobec left an invaluable mark in Slovenian military and memoir literature with his works illuminating key events at the end of the First World War and the struggles for the northern border, especially through his detailed testimony of General Rudolf Majster. He was born on November 8, 1899, in the village of Ponikve on the Karst, the eldest of nine children of farmer Andrej Zlobec (1872\u20131950) and housewife Ana Zlobec (1874\u20131961). He completed primary education in Avber and five grades of lower gymnasium in the local school. In the First World War, he was mobilized into the Austro-Hungarian army. After the war, in 1919, he joined Majster\u2019s fighters in the battles for the northern border. Soon after, due to clashes with Italian fascists in Avber, he was forced to leave his homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Kingdom of SHS, he attended infantry NCO school, then joined fighters on the southern border between 1921 and 1924, participating in battles in Albania and Greece. Afterwards, he served in the command of the city of Belgrade, studied at the Military Intendants\u2019 Academy between 1925 and 1928, and worked as an active quartermaster officer in Zagreb and Maribor. In 1932 he participated in a military coup in Maribor, for which he was punished by being transferred to Prilep. Briefly, he took part in publishing the monthly Evropa<\/em>, a specialist journal for teaching twelve languages, and in 1933 published the manual Priro\u010dnik intendanta (Postetnik)<\/em> for the military academy in Belgrade. He also served in the powder mill in Kamnik in 1935, then in Ljubljana as a senior officer of the General Staff of the Triglav Division. At that time, he started a family with his wife Benica, n\u00e9e \u017dagar, with whom he had three children. Their daughter, Du\u0161ica Kunaver, became a prominent Slovenian writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the April collapse of 1941, he was forcibly retired and joined the Liberation Front. In 1942, he was interned in the camps of Gonars, Monte Malle, Padua, and Treviso, where he helped other prisoners and was additionally punished for it. He returned to Ljubljana in 1943 and continued his work in the OF, including tasks in the Primorska region. In January 1945, he was arrested by the Home Guard, severely tortured, and left disabled. After the war, from September 1946 he worked as an accountant in various companies until retiring in 1965. At the end of his life, he prepared the memoir Za blagor o\u010detnjave<\/em> (Ljubljana, 1981), published posthumously. He died on September 23, 1981, in Ljubljana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His life was marked by five wars. In the First World War, he was mobilized into the Austro-Hungarian army. Immediately after, in 1918\u20131919, he joined Majster\u2019s fighters and participated in the takeover of Maribor and the battles toward Carinthia. Then between 1921 and 1924, he fought on the southern border of the Kingdom of SHS in Albania, and as a volunteer he also took part in the Greco\u2013Turkish War of 1922\u20131923. Finally, in the Second World War he was an activist of the Liberation Front, later interned in Italian camps, and in 1945 brutally tortured after arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the testimony of his granddaughter Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107, as a young soldier of the royal army, Andrej Zlobec was a kind of courier and friend of General Rudolf Majster. Every month he brought him mail and pension to his house in Unec. Majster\u2019s wife would prepare tea, and the two war comrades would talk late into the night about the battles for the northern border. Majster was especially glad that Zlobec had survived the war and advanced to the General Staff. He especially loved to speak of the Serbs who fought side by side with the Slovenians. He said that Serbian volunteers were \u201cexceptionally brave, patriotic, and great patriots,\u201d and that their presence gave confidence to Slovenian comrades. He also recorded their words that stayed with him for life: \u201cOur life belongs to the homeland.\u201d He repeated these words as proof of their unwavering devotion. Privately, too, he had deep respect for Serbs; his son-in-law, Darinka\u2019s father, was a Serb from Leskovac, whom he always defended and loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Za blagor o\u010detnjave<\/em> he left valuable testimonies. He recorded the atmosphere in Ljubljana at the end of 1918:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLjubljana in those days was a real military camp\u2026 National guards were deployed to secure access to the city\u2026 The Italians were already advancing\u2026 we carried rifles with us\u2026 in the barracks equipment and ammunition were distributed\u2026 we were helped by Serbian officers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also wrote about the battles for Maribor and Carinthia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn November 1, 1918, General Majster took power\u2026 On November 23 we arrived in Maribor\u2026 the company secured the line toward Carinthia\u2026 fog and trenches, the Italians attacked but were repelled\u2026 the words of Majster: \u2018Hold firm! This line must remain ours.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His publishing legacy was preserved thanks to the work of his daughter Du\u0161ica Kunaver and granddaughter Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107. Four books were published: V bojih za severno in ju\u017eno mejo<\/em>, a military-historical overview of the battles for both borders of the Kingdom of SHS; Za blagor o\u010detnjave<\/em>, a memoir with personal and historical descriptions; a collection of wartime notes and letters of comrades; and a photo-monograph with original images and stories from all five wars. Two titles were published with institutional support, and two by the private initiative of the family. The family still keeps documents and photographs, including the poster Glory to Vidovdan<\/em>. At the promotion of Savi\u0107\u2019s book Un(justly) forgotten \u2013 dossier on General Rudolf Majster and his Serbs erased from history<\/em>, Du\u0161ica Kunaver sent precisely this poster Vidovdan oath<\/em>, emphasizing that her father Andrej Zlobec kept it in a visible place in his study as a symbol of personal commitment, connection to Serbian tradition, and memory of the battles he endured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrej Zlobec was both witness and participant in crucial events, a man who in his heart remained a Karst native, but whom destiny led to many battlefields. His memories, manuscripts, and family testimony of his daughter and granddaughter today represent an essential source for the study of Rudolf Majster\u2019s role, the courage of Slovenian and Serbian volunteers, and the trials of the Slovenian people in the first half of the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gratitude to Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At the promotion of the book Un(justly) forgotten \u2013 dossier on General Majster and his Serbs erased from history<\/em> by Predrag Savi\u0107 in Ljubljana, alongside the author, historian Nikola Milovan\u010dev and publisher Miodrag Jak\u0161i\u0107 also spoke, and as a special guest speaker, Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107, granddaughter of Andrej Zlobec, addressed the audience. Among the large audience was also a high delegation of the Rudolf Majster Societies\u2019 Union, led by president Lu\u010dka Lazarev \u0160ebec, representatives of the Union of Serbian Societies of Slovenia, as well as distinguished individuals of the Serbian and Slovenian communities, Nani Poljanec, head of the museum in Roga\u0161ka Slatina, General Milan Aksentijevi\u0107, Dr. Dragan Miti\u0107, Nikola Todorovi\u0107, and many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the very beginning of the literary promotion, Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107 presented the guests from Belgrade with a copy of a painting titled Kosovo oath<\/em>, depicting Serbian fighters with their flags and the dates of battles they fought in the First World War. This relic, the poster Vidovdan oath<\/em>, was proudly kept by officer Andrej Zlobec after the wars, framed and displayed in his home, and this tradition is continued today by his descendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking emotionally and excitedly at the book promotion, Mrs. Bogdanovi\u0107 supported the event, where portraits of her grandfather Andrej Zlobec were also exhibited, and reminded those present that Zlobec was a participant in five wars and that his devotion to General Rudolf Majster was expressed not only in military operations and battles, but also in those small and ordinary human things, in his behavior and loyalty to his commander, but also to his friend, whom he regarded as the highest authority, bringing him pension money that arrived from Belgrade and mail to his apartment, and talking with him late into the night. Reading a few sentences from the writings of her grandfather Andrej Zlobec, in which he enthusiastically spoke about the founding of the state of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918, Mrs. Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107 stressed the importance of remembering the great men of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commemoration for Majster\u2019s fighters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It should be emphasized once again, in order to give even greater importance to the publication and promotion of the book Un(justly) forgotten \u2013 dossier on General Majster and his Serbs erased from history<\/em>, that before this promotion, which aroused great interest and lasted more than two and a half hours, a commemoration was held in the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Ljubljana for the Serbian fighters, heroes of Majster\u2019s units, for the very first time, with the presence of more than five hundred faithful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THEY TRIED TO BREAK HIS ARM: Group of young men brutally beat a student in front of the Assembly!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BECAUSE OF THE MONUMENT TO THE CHETNIK DUKE: Montenegrin police raided the \u0110ur\u0111evi Stupovi monastery!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n PRI\u0160TINA INCREASES PRESSURE WITH NEW LAW: \u201cJust another measure in the policy of ethnic cleansing of Serbs!\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n STUDENT FROM SERBIA ALSO ARRESTED: The Israeli army raided the flotilla sailing towards Gaza! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TRUMP APPROVED A DANGEROUS MEASURE: The United States is sending Ukraine technology for attacks on Russia!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Source<\/strong><\/strong>:Miodrag Jak\u0161i\u0107 \/ tamodaleko.co.rs<\/a>, Foto:<\/strong> tamodaleko.co.rs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Du\u0161ica Kunaver and Darinka Bogdanovi\u0107, daughter and granddaughter of Andrej Zlobec, an officer in the Kingdom of SHS who in his lifetime spoke with pride and deep respect about Serbs, his comrades-in-arms, revived memories for our portal of this honorable officer. The recent very successful promotion of the book Un(justly) forgotten \u2013 dossier on General […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":189353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[8996,634,8997,2032,189,113,8998],"class_list":["post-189348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","tag-andrej-zlobec","tag-istorija","tag-kraljevina-shs","tag-prvi-svetski-rat","tag-slovenac","tag-srbija","tag-vidovdanski-zavet","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189348"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189379,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189348\/revisions\/189379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/image-2.png\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n