Kadić, Ante (1967):“Krleza´s Tormented Visionaries.

“ In: The Slavonic and East European

Review, No.4, January, pp. 46-64.

Excerpt

In this essey Kadić examinates the early work of Krleža emphasizing his „tormented“
protagonists and trying to link it with some biographical data of famous writer. In his early
plays, Krleža wrote about certain well-known historical figurs, as idealists who became
disillusioned with their own visions or with their followers. Kadić examinates three plays of
Krleža in his early work: Legenda (1913); Michelangelo (1918) and Christopher Columbus
(1917). In Legenda the main protagonist is Christ and the main motive is temptation. Kadic
compares Krlezas tempter with that of T. S. Eliot in his play Murder in the Cathedral finding
Krležas Christ captured in vanity, what is quite opposite to Eliots Thomas Becket who
overcomes his vanity. The last scene of Michelangelo shows the great artist humiliated by the
chatolic church eccepting a financial resources and keeping silent in return. According to
Kadić is Christopher Columbus the most consistent among Krležas visionaries. He is never
motivated by hope of personal triumph or posthumous glory, but derives his strength from his
own faith. Columbus dies crucified by his own crew, becouse he will not accept the New
World as a second edition of the old one. Kadić links such choise of themes with Krleža´s
solid catholic and biblical education and his doubts in god in the process of becoming an
atheist and komunist. Kadić mentions that Krleža always chose an intelectuel or artist as his
mouthpieces giving them a role of changing the world and not to masses or proletariat.
(Povratak Filipa Latinovića, Na rubu pameti)

Depressed through the experience in World War I, the absurdity of human life and death
became the favorit themes of Krleza. In the time following time Krleza found Russian
Revolution and Lenin as his salvation. In autumn 1917 he dedicated the play Chistopher
Columbus to Lenin.

Krleža was also trying to defend creativ freedom against all Party encroachments,
condemning any kind of Zhadovism or bureaucratic intervention in the cultural domain. In the
year1939 he published an article in his literary journal Pečat against the „orthodox“ socialist
realists and was attacked as a renegade and revisionist.