Social and economic problems of Slavonia in the novels Dead Capitals and Between Light and Darkness by Josip Kozarac

Josip Kozarac jedan je od najistaknutijih hrvatskih pisaca realizma, ostavivši ne tako velik, ali iznimno značajan opus u hrvatskoj književnosti. Cjelokupno određenje njegova lika veže se uz njegov rodni zavičaj, Slavoniju, što ga čini iznimno prepoznatljivim slavonskim regionalnim autorom. U značajnoj mjeri doprinio je razvoju romana u hrvatskoj književnosti, a oslanjajući se na Turgenjeva, uveo je lirski realizam i približio književnost hrvatskog realizma europskim tokovima. Svojim romanima; Mrtvi kapitali i Među svjetlom i tminom uveo je, zajedno s ostalim piscima svoga naraštaja, kao što su Novak, Kovačić, Kumičić i Gjalski, socijalno-ekonomsku problematiku kao temu u našem realizmu. Romani su to s tezom, u kojima je uspio dati prikaz srži problema slavonskog društva, razloga njegove zaostalosti, prvenstveno zemlje, koje on naziva kapitalom jer ju smatra izuzetno vrijednim resursom te pridodaje epitet „mrtvi“ jer je isti neiskorišten i zapušten. Njegova teza uzročno dovodi do prijedloga rješenja navedene problematike, koje je on kao obrazovani šumar stekao tijekom školovanja i radnog iskustva te uz sav svoj literarni dar, primijenio zajednički u svojim djelima.Josip Kozarac is one of the most prominent writers of Croatian realism, leaving behind a not so large, but extremely significant body of work in Croatian literature. The entire definition of his character is linked to his native soil, Slavonia, which makes him an extremely recognizable Slavonian regional author. He significantly contributed to the development of the novel in Croatian literature, and relying on Turgenev, he introduced lyrical realism and brought the literature of Croatian realism closer to European currents. His novels: Mrtvi kapitali (Dead Capitals) and Među svjetlom i tminom (Between Light and Darkness) were written in an attempt to introduce socio-economic issues as a theme in our realism, along with other writers of his generation, such as Novak, Kovačić, Kumičić and Gjalski. These novels contain a thesis, in which he managed to present the core of the problems of Slavonian society, the reasons for its backwardness and, primarily, the land, which he refers to as the capital because he considers it an extremely valuable resource and adds the epithet "dead" because it is unused and neglected. His thesis causally leads to a proposed solution to the aforementioned problem, which he as an educated forester acquired during his schooling and work experience, and with all his literary talent, applied jointly in his works