Hvar City Theatre Days, Vol. 52 No. 1, 2026.
Original scientific paper
Smrt Smail-age Čengijića by Vladimir Lunaček
Tea Rogić Musa
orcid.org/0000-0002-5341-1423
Abstract
Vladimir Lunaček adapted the poem Smrt Smail-aga Čengića by Ivan Mažuranić
in 1913; the play was printed from the manuscript in 2004. After it was rejected by the
reviewer Milan Ogrizović in November 1913, it was never performed. Here its content is
presented in detail and compared with Lunaček᾽s analysis of Mažuranić᾽s poem, published
in the journal Kritika in 1922. The focus of the paper is on Lunaček᾽s understanding of
Mažuranić᾽s poem and his attempt to transfer the epic-lyrical work into the drama genre,
given his knowledge of the poetics of Romanticism and the political background of the
poem᾽s creation. His adaptation indicates a good knowledge of Mažuranić᾽s original and a
correct understanding of the context of his writing, but also a deficient command of dramatic technique and difficulties in conveying Mažuranić᾽s complex message into the simple and concise plot of the adaptation text, which he conceived as a political play with a historical background, in line with his earlier, relatively more successful, play Ilirci.
Keywords
Vladimir Lunaček; Smrt Smail-age Čengijića; Ivan Mažuranić; Romanticism; Neo-Romanticism
Hrčak ID:
347164
URI
Publication date:
6.5.2026.
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