Rožmanova Lenčica

Comment:

This is an important picture book not only because it is the first published fairy tale featuring a girl warrior written by the “first Slovenian female poet, writer, composer, pianist, and fairy tale writer,” but also because it features rich supporting material introducing the author, who was an exceptional woman but who also unfortunately remains mostly unknown to contemporary Slovenian literary public. Josipina Turnograjska was a well-educated and active woman who transcended the socially assigned women’s role of her time, namely the first half of the 19th century. Her protagonist Rožman’s Lenčica, too, is a strong, resolute girl who subverts her assigned female role by dressing as a boy and taking her elderly father’s place in the army, where she bravely fights against the Ottoman incursion. She is braver than her fiancé Pavel, who refuses to enlist and stays home. She even surpasses the other, male soldiers in her bravery, even though they suspect a girl is hidden under the military garments, and earns herself the right to return home to her father, sisters, and fiancé after her final battle. The fairy tale has already been translated into German, English, and Spanish.