Sudbina pjesništva na rubu hrvatskoga kulturnoga prostora na primjeru Stipana Bešlina iz Bačke

Abstract

This paper presents a brief review of the position of poetry written by Šokci Croats in the context of Croatian poetry in the part of Bačka that belongs to Vojvodina. Particular attention is placed upon the poet Stipan Bešlin, who lived in the inter-war period. We analyse the representation of the mentioned poet on Croatian ground during his life till nowadays. In addition, Bešlin’s poetry is thematically reviewed; his poetry, his stylistic and linguistic choices are researched. It is shown that Bešlin’s poetic destiny is marginalised from different aspects. He is marginalised as a šokavian poet from Bačka, and as a poet who is Catholic as well as a poet whose first book of poems was published thirty years after his death, in a politically inconvenient moment. The poems Bešlin wrote short before his early death are considered his best poetic work.