March the 2nd, 2025 – Marija Jurić Zagorka (Negovec near Vrbovec, March the 2nd, 1873 – Zagreb, November the 30th, 1957) was a Croatian journalist and writer who altered the trajectory for women.

As Index writes, Marija Jurić Zagorka is known the first professional female journalist in Croatia and one of the most widely read literary authors. Despite the challenges imposed on her by the patriarchal society of the time, she left an indelible mark on Croatian cultural and journalistic history.

Marija Jurić Zagorka grew up in a family that absolutely failed to support her intellectual ambitions. She left the Girls’ High School near the end of her education due to her turbulent family relationships, which she later wrote about in her autobiographical book Kamen na cest (A Stone on the Road) in 1938. However, her talent and perseverance led her to write her first anonymous articles for newspapers.

Marija Jurić Zagorka and her career in journalism

In 1896, she published an anonymous article, Jedan časak (Egy Percz), in Obzor, after which, on the recommendation of Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, the editorial staff hired her as a journalist. However, due to the prejudices against women in journalism at the time, her texts were initially published anonymously or under a male pseudonym.

She soon became one of the leading political journalists, reporting on parliamentary debates and the political situation in Hungary. She also reported from Budapest and Vienna, and from the Friedjung trial in 1909. Her participation in the popular movement of 1903 is particularly significant, when the editors of Obzor were arrested, and she took over the editing of the newspaper herself.

Literary work

At Strossmayer’s urging, Zagorka devoted herself to writing novels intended for a wider readership. Her first novel, Roblje, was published in 1899 as a supplement to Obzor. She gained concrete popularity with the historical novel cycle The Witch of Grič (1912–1913), which remains one of the most famous works of Croatian literature today.

She actually wrote about twenty novels, including:

Vladko Šaretić (1903)

Republikanci (Republicans) (1914–1916),

Crveni ocean (Red Ocean) (1918–1919),

Kći Lotršćaka (The Daughter of the Lotrščak) (1919–1920),

Kaptolski antikrist (The Antichrist of Kaptol) (1925–1926),

Gordana (1933–1935),

Vitez slavonske ravni (The Knight of the Slavonian Plain) (1937–1938),

Jadranka (1953)

In addition to her historical novels, she also penned dramas, comedies, and crime novels, among which The Princess from Petrinjska (1910), one of the first Croatian crime novels, stands out. Her most famous play, Jalnuševčani (1917), depicts Croatian society of the time through the prism of satirical comedy.

her fight for women’s rights

Zagorka actively fought for women’s rights and in 1925 founded Ženski list, the first Croatian magazine intended for women, which she edited until 1938. She later founded Hrvatica (1939–1941), where she continued to promote feminist ideas and fight for a better social status for women.

her lasting legacy and recognition

Despite her great popularity among her readers, Zagorka was not recognised in academic circles for a long time. Her work was long considered trivial literature, but over time, scholars such as Ivo Hergešić and Slobodan Lasić encouraged a more serious literary revaluation of her work.

In 2004, a project to publish her collected works began. In 2007, the Centre for Women’s Studies launched Marija Jurić Zagorka Days, an event that annually commemorates her importance to wider Croatian culture.

Marija Jurić Zagorka left an indelible mark on Croatian literature and journalism throughout her life. She was a pioneer in the fight for women’s rights, a writer of exceptional popularity, and one of the most important figures in Croatian cultural history. Today, her works continue to be read and researched, confirming her enduring value.
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