Summary
A Slovak writer and physician whose real name was Matej Bencúr, who lived and worked in Selca. The setting on Brač inspired his novel ‘Dom v stráni’ (‘House on the Hillside’), one of the major works of Slovak realism.
His life in Selca connects medicine, literature and the history of the Didolić family.
A doctor among the people of Brač
Kukučín came to Selca in 1894 as a physician, at the invitation of the merchant Marko Didolić. He came to know the town’s social life and married Perica Didolić. His time on Brač was part of a longer life among Croatians, which continued in the South American diaspora.
A house on the hillside
The novel ‘Dom v stráni’, also known as ‘Kuća na obronku’ (‘House on the Hillside’), was published in 1903–1904. In it, life on Brač became a setting for a realist examination of social and family relationships. Its significance in Slovak literature goes beyond that of a local chronicle.
The park and Tolstoy’s name
A municipal account links the creation of Park Tolstoj (Tolstoy Park) with new cultural ideas promoted in Selca by Kukučín. The idea for a bust arose in 1911, and the municipal source dates its installation to 1914. This should be distinguished from the park’s earlier landscaping and from any personal meeting with Tolstoy.
Sources: [3]
