Josip Milaković kao prvi propagator Lužičkih Srba
Josip Milaković as the First Promoter of Lusatians among Southern Slavs

Summary/Abstract: Croatian writer Josip Milaković (1861–1921) plays an extraordinary role in Lusatian – South Slavic cultural contacts. Milaković has never visited Lusatia and from all significant Lusatian writers or cultural representatives then he personally met only Arnošt Muka, a linguist, and Jan Kerk, a teacher, but he was informed about Lusatia and Lusatian literature from Adolf Černý (1864–1952), a Czech poet and folklorist, enthusiastic promoter of Slavs, and in particular of Lusatians. Adolf Černý met Josip Milaković for the first and, in the same time, for the last time in March 1899 in Sarajevo, where Černý stayed for a short time on his way from Dubrovnik. In that time, Milaković was interested mainly in Czech poetry, the extracts whereof appeared in Sarajevo illustrated journal Nada. During the short and heart-to-heart visit Černý managed to evoke interest in Lusatian literature in Milaković, who was carefully following its development since. Milaković was informed about Lusatian national life from the Slovanský přehled revue issued and regularly sent to Milaković to Sarajevo by Černý. Černý arranged for Milaković to establish written contacts with two Lusatian national workers, Jakub Bart-Ćišinski, a poet, and Arnošt Muka, a philologist. They were sending Milaković Lusatian journals and books as well as information about the course of events in Lusatia. As a reward, Milaković was sending them Croatian and other South Slavic journals and books, so that Bart-Ćišinski and Muka could inform Lusatians about them. Milaković´s friendship to Lusatians evoked great interest in Croatian nation and culture particularly in Bart-Ćišinski – a catholic priest – who made use of every opportunity to inform thereabout since. Milaković printed his works mostly in Sarajevo journal Nada. The top of his activity promoting Lusatian issue are rather thin publications Dr. Arnošt Muka (Sarajevo, 1907) and Jakub Bart-Ćišinski (Sarajevo, 1914). The Lužički Srbi (Sarajevo, 1920) is a synthetic work with literary-historical interpretation. Milaković as a poet mediated translations of Lusatian poets Jakub Bart-Ćišinski and H. Zejler to South Slavic readers. Translations of poems of these authors appeared in the book Iz slavenskih lugova. In the anthology of Czech poetry he also represented most of all Slavic literatures. Milaković learned the Lusatian language from a Lusatian Miklawš Šolta, who settled in Sarajevo with his Italian wife, who came from Venetia, and made his living there as a clockmaker and jeweller.

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