Student of the Jesuit College at St. James’s (1772–1773)
Anton Tomaž Linhart was born on 11 December 1756 in Radovljica.
He developed a gift for languages early on, as his mother primarily spoke Slovene, while his father spoke German and Czech.
He received his education in Radovljica and at the Jesuit Gymnasium at St. James’s in Ljubljana, where Jurij Vega was among his classmates. For a short time, Linhart joined a monastic school, but later withdrew and went on to study commerce and finance in Vienna, supported by local nobility.
Linhart became a central figure of the Slovene Enlightenment and a pioneer in Slovenian theatre and historiography. He was also a musician, translator, archivist, librarian, civil servant, and polyglot.
In 1786, he was appointed commissioner for the Ljubljana district and, in this role, led the Carniolan educational administration. The Lyceum Library in Ljubljana—precursor to today’s National and University Library (NUK)—was founded at his initiative.
His first literary work, the poetry collection Blumen aus Krain (Flowers from Carniola), was written during his studies. He followed it with a tragedy in German, Miss Jenny Love, composed in Vienna.
Under the influence of Slovene Enlightenment figures, especially Žiga Zois, Linhart began writing in Slovene. He adapted and translated the German comedy Die Feldmühle (The Country Mill) by Josef Richter, which he titled Županova Micka (Micka, the Mayor’s Daughter). This became the first Slovene comedy.
Inspired by Beaumarchais’s famous play The Marriage of Figaro, Linhart wrote another comedic play for the Slovene public: Ta veseli dan ali Matiček se ženi (This Merry Day or Matiček Gets Married).
Anton Tomaž Linhart died on 14 July 1795 in Ljubljana. In 1840, a memorial gravestone was placed in Navje Memorial Park, with an epitaph composed by France Prešeren, which is inscribed on his monument.
Epitaph of France Prešeren:
He left the paths of the German Parnassus,
and wrote tales of Carniola’s ancient times.
Who doesn’t know Matiček, Micka, the mayor’s daughter,
if they care at all for Slovene identity?
He shall be praised until the dead awaken,
by native muses—Thalia and Clio.
