Kalendar – perjanica Napretkove izdavačke djelatnosti
The ''Kalendar'' - Plume of Napredak's Publishing Activities

Summary/Abstract: The effects of publishing Napredak’s Croatian Peoples “Kalendar” in all four different periods (1907-1917; 1922-1941; 1941-1945; 1945-1949), had not only an immeasurable influence on the promotion of the written word, but also on the general activities of the Society, helping the youth within the general mission of developing culture in the widest sense of its meaning, and raising of Croatian national awareness. In the longest interwar period, which is closely examined in this paper, each phase of the journal’s “life” (preparation, printing, distribution, sale) engaged, directly or indirectly, numerous activists of Napredak, and was completely followed by the author with a special emphasis on the contents of the 19 volumes and the total contribution to its appearance. Within this interwar period we can distinguish three periods of publishing: the initial post-war period (1922-1929), the second period marked by a political dictatorship regime (1929-1934/35), and the third, pre-war period (1935-1941). The specifics of the general social-political and economical life of the Kingdom (of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and Yugoslavia) had exerted influence on HKD Napredak and its publishing activities in which the “Kalendar” (besides the Glasilo, the Easter and Christmas books) played a prominent role. Each new issue had to be postulated and judged linearly, depending on this social level and vertically within the organization of Napredak’s activities. The “Kalendar” of the HKD Napredak was not a book in a narrow sense of the word, as it is suggested on its first glance. Since 1927, besides the usual detailed calendar (Croatian “vremenoslovlje”), it contained popularly written articles of educational and entertaining character, and an impressive schematic part covering ALL Croatian societies. The analysis of “Kalendar’s” contents offers an answer to why it was the most prestigious publication of Napredak’s written word whether it concerned its contribution to the general cultural, educational, informative or documentary sphere. It is an unavoidable source for the study of Napredak’s history, since it followed all the activities which had their summary in the “schematic” part and records of the regular annual assemblies. Owing to the engagement of the Central department, as well as to the work of the editorial board, with the exceptional editor in chief prof. Anto Martinović, each following issue surpassed the previous one, which can be seen from the contemporary reviews in numerous publications: daily newspapers, monthly magazines, and journals. It acquired the attribute of the best calendar of the Croatian people and one of the most important Croatian publications, due to its contributors (from talented peasants, the first writers of Croatian literature, intellectuals par excellence, frequently doctors of science).

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