Marko Marulić

Croatian writer Marko Marulić (1450 – 1524) is one of the most important Croatian writers. He was born in Split, where he received a humanistic education, and it is assumed that he continued his education in Italy. Marulić published many works, most of which were inspired by the Bible and religious and moral themes, and his literary role models were ancient writers.

Marulić wrote his works in Latin, Croatian and Italian. Among the works in Latin, the most notable are Instruction in a Virtuous Life by the Examples of the Saints (Upućivanje u čestit život po primjerima svetaca), a work in which Marulić gives instructions for a moral life based on the examples of the lives of the saints, and Evangelist, a treatise on Christian ethics, which became famous in Europe and was reprinted over 70 times and translated into a dozen languages. A work in Latin that should also be highlighted is Marulić's epic Davidiad written after the ancient poet Virgil. Davidiad is based on the biblical story of the Jewish king David, and due to Marulić's exceptional writing skills, it is included among the best Christian epics of European humanism.

In the works written in the Croatian language, a patriotic mood is visible, and among them, the Prayer Against the Turks (Molitva suprotiva Turkom) stands out. But the work for which Marulić is probably best known is the epic Judita. He based it on the biblical story of Judith, and in terms of composition, he modeled it on ancient epics, relying at the same time on the Croatian poetic tradition. Judita is the first artistic epic of Croatian literature in the Croatian language and is considered a fundamental work of old Croatian literature, for which Marulić was called the "father of Croatian literature". Marulić's fame beyond the borders of Croatia continues to this day, and he is recognized in Europe as a prominent representative of humanist and Renaissance literature.

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