Antun Radić


Antun Radić was a Croatian scientist, writer, translator, journalist, sociologist, ethnographer and politician. He is the founder of Croatian ethnography.

Biography

Early life and education

Antun Radić was born in Desno Trebarjevo, Martinska Ves near Sisak in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia within Austria-Hungary as the eighth of eleven children in the family of poor peasants, Ana and Imbra Radić. His younger brother, born as the ninth child, was Croatian politician Stjepan Radić.
After finishing elementary school in Martinska Ves, Radić went to Zagreb where he continued his education in the elite Upper Town Gymnasium, after which he enrolled in the study of Slavic Studies and Classical Philology at the Universities in Zagreb and Vienna. He received his PhD from the University of Zagreb in 1892 with the thesis "On some eschatological motifs in Croatian literature".

Professional work

Since 1892, Radić worked as teacher in schools in Osijek, Požega, Varaždin and Zagreb. After 1897 parliamentary elections, at the request of Ban Károly Khuen-Héderváry, Radić was discharged from the service because he did not want to vote for the pro-Hungarian government candidate.
From 1897 to 1901, he worked as editor of the "Almanac of public life and customs of the South Slavs". From 1901 to 1909, he worked as secretary of the Matica hrvatska and was one of the founders and editors of "Voice of Matica hrvatska" magazine. Radić was also the founder of Dom magazine, published between 1899 and 1904. Subtitled "Paper for the Croatian peasant for talk and lesson", it was the first Croatian magazine for peasants, which contributed to the cultural and national-political development of the Croatian villages. In 1917, Radić took a job as a professor at Zagreb Upper Town Gymnasium, where he taught until his death.

Political work

On 22 December 1904, Antun and Stjepan founded Croatian Peoples' Peasant Party. In 1910 parliamentary election, he was elected to the Croatian Parliament. During his term in office, he actively advocated the reform of local government and educational system. As member of HPPS, he was elected to the Parliament three times.

Death

Antun Radić died on 10 February 1919. After his death, authorities in the newly established Kingdom of Yugoslavia did not grant a pension to his widow Vilma so she lost her livelihood and when she got a court order to leave the apartment for not paying the rent, she went on July 6, 1919, to his grave and drank poison which killed her. At that time, the authorities persecuted and imprisoned many leaders of Croatian Peasant Party and it was thought that Vilma actually committed suicide in protest against those persecutions. He was buried at Mirogoj cemetery on 12 February 1919.

Scientific work

Radić greatly influenced political activity of his brother Stjepan with his ethnological research. He emphasized the connection between the national liberation with social, warning that complete national freedom cannot be achieved by the simple removal of foreign national oppression. In addition to folklore, Radić also dealt with the literary and historical topics in his scientific papers and also translated works of prominent Russian writers.
Antun Radić reputedly spoke Croatian, Latin, German, French, Italian, Czech, Bulgarian, Polish and Russian, all fluently.

Legacy

Many schools, streets and squares across Croatia were named after Antun Radić. In 1995, Order of Danica Hrvatska was established. Order is divided into seven equally valuable decorations of which one aworded for special merits in education, is named after Antun Radić.

Works

  • O nekim eshatološkijem motivima u hrvatskoj kniževnosti, Tisak Dioničke tiskare, Zagreb, 1893.
  • Osnova za sabiranje i proučavanje građe o narodnom životu, p. 1.-88., Zbornik za narodni život i običaje Južnih Slavena., book 2., Zagreb, 1897.
  • Osnova za sabiranje i proučavanje građe o narodnom životu, Tisak Dioničke tiskare, Zagreb 1897. Special print from book no. 2. from the Anthology of Folk Life and Customs of South Slavs
  • "Život" t.j. Smrt hrvatskoga preporoda?, Tisak C. Albrechta, Zagreb, 1899.
  • Hrvati i Magjari ili Hrvatska politika i "Riečka rezolucija"., Politička knjižnica H. P. S. S., volume 1., Zagreb, 1905. Matica Hrvatska, Tiskara i litografija Mile Maravića, Zagreb, 1906.
  • Novinstvo i književnici prema Matici Hrvatskoj. Knjige Matice Hrvatske za god. 1905., Tiskara i litografija Mile Maravića, Zagreb, 1906.
  • Što je i što hoće Hrvatska pučka seljačka stranka., Ante Radić and Stjepan Radić, Hrvatska pučka seljačka tiskara, Zagreb, 1908.

Post mortem

  • Osnova za sabiranje i proučavanje gradje o narodnom životu, 2. ed., JAZU, Zagreb, 1929.
  • Kako čovjek postaje čovjek, Radićeva obrazovna knjižnica, vol 3, Zagreb, 1930.
  • Obrisi hrvatske povijesti u starom i srednjem vijeku, Radićeva obrazovna knjižnica, vol. 7, Zagreb, 1930.
  • Obrisi hrvatske povijesti u novom vijeku, Radićeva obrazovna knjižnica, vol. 8, Zagreb, 1930.
  • Sabrana djela dra Antuna Radića, b. I-XIX, Zagreb, 1936.-1939.
  • Što si Hrvat ili Srbin: odabrano iz spisa Antuna Radića, Biblioteka Gospodarski pogledi dr. Antuna Radića, ed. Ante Miljak, b. 1, Ljudevit, Vinkovci, 1990.
  • Osnova za sabiranje i proučavanje građe o narodnom životu, Dom i svijet, Zagreb, 1997