Branka Jurca

Branka Jurca
Born	24 May 1914 Kopriva, Austria-Hungary (now in Slovenia)
Died	6 March 1999 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Occupation	Writer, teacher and editor
Notable works	Ko zorijo jagode, Okoli in okoli, Vohljači in prepovedane skrivnosti
Notable awards	Levstik Award 1960 for Okoli in okoli Levstik Award 1966 for Vohljači in prepovedane skrivnosti

Branka Jurca (24 May 1914 – 6 March 1999) was a Slovene writer, best known for her work for children and young adults.^[1]

Jurca was born in Kopriva in the Karst region of what is now Slovenia in 1914. After the First World War the family moved to Maribor where she grew up. She worked as a teacher until the outbreak of the Second World War when she moved to Ljubljana. She participated in the Slovene Liberation Front but was arrested and sent to Gonars concentration camp and then Ravensbrück concentration camp. After the end of the war she worked as teacher for a while and then editor of the children's journal Ciciban. She wrote 35 stories for children, novels anc collections of short stories. She died in Ljubljana in 1999.^[2]

She won the Levstik Award twice, in 1960 for Okoli in okoli (Round and Round) and in 1966 for Vohljači in prepovedane skrivnosti (The Snoopers and Forbidden Secrets).^[3]

She was married to the writer and playwiight Ivan Potrč and their daughter Marjetica Potrč is an award winning architect.

Published works

Adult Prose

• Pod bičem (podobe iz taborišč) (Under the Whip (Images from Concentration Camps), 1945
• ...potem je zmagalo življenje (... Then Life Won), 1953
• Stekleni grad (The Glass Castle), 1958

For Children and Young Adults

• V pasti, 1955
• Bratec in sestrica, 1956
• Poredni zajček, 1958
• Okoli in okoli, 1960
• HiÅ¡nikov dan
• HiÅ¡ica ob morju, 1962
• Lizike za vse, 1962
• Uhač in njegova druščina, 1963
• Gregec Kobilica, 1965
• MiÅ¡ko Poleno in njegov ognjeni krst, 1965
• Vohljači in prepovedane skrivnosti, 1966
• Beli konjič, 1967
• Do zvezd, 1967
• Žrebiček brez potnega lista, 1969
• Rdeči Å¡korenjčki, 1970
• Katka, stoj!, 1972
• RodiÅ¡ se samo enkrat, 1972
• ÄŒuj in Katka, 1974
• Ko zorijo jagode, 1974
• Å pelin dnevnik, 1976
• Babičina pravljica, 1977
• Javka v starem čevlju, 1977
• Pionirka sem! Pionir sem!, 1977
• Moj oče partizan, 1978
• S helikopterjem k stricu Tintinu, 1978
• Ko Nina spi, 1980
• Prgišče zvezd, 1980
• Marjanka vseznalka, 1980
• ÄŒudovita stenska ura, 1981
• Anča Pomaranča, 1983
• Snežaki v vrtcu, 1983
• MiÅ¡ko Poleno, 1984
• Pot okoli sveta, 1985
• Modra kapica in začarani volk, 1986
• Kdaj so bili partizani veseli, 1986
• Dobra volja je najbolja, 1987
• 1:0 za zajce, 1990
• Vesele novice z Zelenice, 1993
• V dedovi grapi, 1994

References

1. Obituary on 24ur.com site, Slovenian Press Agency release, 8 March 1999
2. Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House site
3. The Levstik Award on the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House site