Jože Šerjak

Jože Šerjak (June 8, 1918 – 1945) was a Slovene writer and poet and a member of the Salesian order.

Life Šerjak was born as the last of four children into a family of the farmer Janez Šerjak and farmer Katarina (née Maček) in Trata pri Velesovem. Three weeks before his birth, his father died suddenly and unexpectedly. Thus, his mother had a great influence on his upbringing and life direction. He attended elementary school (1925–1929) in Velesovo. At the initiative of his local pastor, Father Bešar, he then enrolled in the classical eight-year secondary school in Ljubljana, during which time he lived in Our Lady's Student Dormitory . After two years (1929–1931) he was no longer able to pay the monthly tuition at the institution, and so he had to return home and work on family farm.

Work Already while living at home, and especially during school, Šerjak showed displayed creative talent, which he developed through study and training. He probably already started writing at Radna, and, after arriving in Ljubljana in 1940, he became very active in the Salesian students' newsletter Naše delo, became a contributor to religious newsletters, and prepared Marian and other ceremonies. His poems became popular, and other students learned them by heart and repeated them like a prayer. This was especially true for his poem "Molitev" (Prayer). In his crown of sonnets "Mami v lep spomin" (In Fond Memory of My Mother) he poured out his love for his hometown, his mother, and all his family, and he expressed his desire to become a priest. It also foreshadowed his approaching end.

Šerjak's crown of sonnets, preserved in manuscript form, expresses his mentality and relation towards his surroundings. It was written at a milestone in his life, when the spring of his life turned into summer. With his violent death, the plans he had for his future work died. Šerjak had wanted to write a novel about the ancient pilgrimage site and monastery at Velesovo, to write literature for young people, and to serve as a priest.

Works Zlate zgodbice (1944) "Pot, resnica in življenje" (Bogoljub, April 1944, p. 59) Contributions to Naše delo (1940–1944) Contributions to Salezijanski vestnik (1940–1944) "Romarji s Kureščka" (Slovensko domobranstvo, September 1944, pp. 11, 12)