Zbornik Janković, Vol. VI No. 7, 2022.
Review article
https://doi.org/10.47325/zj.6.7.13
I WRITE WHAT I DO (NOT) THINK? WORDS VS THOUGHTS OF AN INTELLECTUAL IN NDH - THE CASE OF JOSIP HORVAT
Tomislav Kardum
orcid.org/0000-0002-9445-9757
Abstract
In the paper, the author deals with the neglected activities of Croatian journalist and author Josip Horvat during the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). Horvat’s activities can’t be explained properly if we, as previous researchers have done, look upon them as just the marginal aspect of the Horvat opus. The author compares Horvat’s views from his posthumously published diary and numerous texts written during the Second world war. Casting doubt about the authenticity of certain parts of the diary, the
author concludes that „private” views are secondary, while the public sphere is primarily relevant when studying the intellectuals. Namely, during the NDH, Horvat wrote numerous texts from a clearly articulated Croatian nationalist, conservative and pro-Axis perspective. He praised the state leadership, for which he received an award from poglavnik Ante Pavelić in april of 1945. In articles and the book Kultura Hrvata kroz 1000 godina (Croat Culture Through a 1000 Years) Horvat espoused conservative criticism of economic liberalism, praising the conservative way of life of Croatian peasants, as well as the institution of zadruga. His views about recent political history are in line with the views of the ruling ustasha movement in the NDH, while he espoused many views in line with the Croatian interwar nationalism. Also, he defended the foreign policy of the
NDH, as well as the participation of Croats in the Battle of Stalingrad, which he dubbed a battle for European culture against bolshevism.
Keywords
Josip Horvat; NDH; intellectuals; journalism; Croatian nationalism
Hrčak ID:
307765
URI
Publication date:
6.9.2023.
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