Sida Košutić: the literature of light

Hrvatska književnica Sida Košutić (1902. – 1965.) svoja je djela (liriku, romane i pripovijetke) najvećim dijelom objavila u razdoblju od 1927. do 1942. Nije joj bio prihvatljiv govor o „katoličkoj književnosti“ jer je u tome prepoznavala izvor podjela. Smatrala je da ne postoji katolička književnost, nego književnici koji su katolici. Njezino cjelokupno djelo, u kojem je snažno prepoznatljivo vjersko nadahnuće, usmjereno je na promicanje istine, ljepote i dobrote. Pritom je u njezinim proznim djelima, s jedne strane, naglašena patnja, osobito patnja nedužnih, napose žena i djece, te, s druge strane, ispraznost i licemjerje onih koji su se dali zavesti zasljepljujućom snagom ugleda, moći i imetka. Njezina tankoćutna, plemenita i potresna lirika, utkana i u prozna djela, svjedoči o snazi i ljepoti ljudske duše koja umije, ne bez žrtve i bolnih posljedica, nadjačati životne izazove. Može se učiniti da u svojoj prozi ide u jednu, a u svojoj lirici u drugu krajnost. Međutim, osobno osvjedočena o neshvatljivoj patnji koja pogađa i potire nedužne te ih uvodi u nevidljivost, nije mogla pristati da ih ta nevidljivost i prekrije. Pišući o njima, ona se za njih zauzima, duboko uvjerena u snagu Božje prisutnosti, u snagu dobrote. Posred mnogovrsnih stradanja, koja su snalazila ljude s kojima je živjela, i nju osobno, u vremenu prije Drugog svjetskog rata, za vrijeme Drugog svjetskog rata i poslije njega, ona smireno i vedro nastavlja živjeti s povjerenjem u svjetlo istine, ljepote i dobrote, koje opravdava i obnavlja ljudski život.Croatian writer Sida Košutić (1902-1965) largely published her works (poetry, novels and short stories) in the period between 1927 and 1942. The found the concept of ‘Catholic literature’ unacceptable, since she recognised it as a source of divisions. She believed that there was no Catholic literature, but only writers who are Catholics. Her entire opus, in which religious inspiration is strongly recognisable, is focused on the promotion of the truth, beauty and kindness. Nevertheless, suffering is strongly emphasised in her prose on one hand, particularly the suffering of the innocent ones, such as women and children. On the other hand, her prose emphasises frivolity and hypocrisy of those who led themselves be seduced by the blinding force of reputation, power and wealth. Her sensitive, noble and deeply moving poetry, which is also woven into her prose, testifies about the strength and beauty of human soul that can overcome challenges of life, however not without sacrifice and painful consequences. It might seem that she is swinging from one extreme to another between her prose and poetry. However, as she personally witnessed incomprehensible pain that affects and destroys innocent persons and makes them invisible, she could not allow that invisibility to cover them. By writing about them she stood up for them, deeply convinced in the power of God’s presence, and in the power of goodness. In the midst of numerous hardships that befell people she lived with and her personally in the period preceding World War II, during the war and after it, she continued to live calmly and serenely, believing in the light of the truth, beauty and kindness that justifies and renews human life