Description

This unusual collection of Slovenian poems and songs was gathered during WWI, to support the Slovenian soldiers, fighting on the side of the Austrian emperor. The songs translated into German, all with motifs of war and victory, are old national poems without known authors or were written in the 19^th century by famous authors.

The patriotic work, illustrated by known artists, was made to show the equality of the Slovenian soldiers with the Austrian ones in Austro-Hungary during the war and to encourage them to fight for the borders of their homeland. In reality, many Slavic soldiers were hoping to gain an independence from Austro-Hungary and join with other South Slavic nations in a new country, what would in a couple of years become known as Yugoslavia.

This example is one of the 50, which were printed on hand made paper, signed by the author and dedicated to various esteemed persons.

The translator and editor Dr. Rudolf von Andrejka (1880-1948) was a Slovenian lawyer, professor and author in Austria-Hungary and later in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

This example was dedicated to Fran Vidic (1872-1944), a translator, editor and a bibliophile. Vidic, who was the first translator of the Slovenian esteemed poet France Prešeren into German and helped erecting a monument to the poet in the centre of Ljubljana, was shot by the Gestapo in WWII as a sympathiser of the partisan movement.