Klára Jarunková

Klára Jarunková (; 28 April 1922 – 11 July 2005) was a Slovak writer predominantly of literature for children and teenagers. She is the most translated Slovak author.

Biography Klára Jarunková was born on 28 April 1922, in the village of Šumiac. Her parents were postal clerks. After the death of her monther, when Klára was just 8 years old, she was mostly raised by her aunt Františka. Jarunková was educated at the grammar school for girls in Banská Bystrica, where she lived with her aunt. After her graduation she worked as a village teacher in Korytárky. In 1943 she moved to Bratislava where she studied, but never graduated, Slovak language and Philosophy at the Comenius University and worked as a clerk and editor of the Slovak broadcast of the Czechoslovak radio. Her work, full of youth slang, humor and sarcasm, was met with critical acclaim for offering a refreshing change after a decade of hegemony of "stilted socialist realism".

In 1978 she published Horehronský talizman, an edited memorial of her father, Július Chudík, who became an unlikely part of the retinue of the tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, after saving the monarch's life.

Following her retirement, Jarunková remained active as a writer for about ten years. She died on 11 July 2005 in Bratislava.

Legacy and awards In 1980, Jarunková was awarded the Merited Artist of Czechoslovakia. Jarunková also received the Pribina Cross, 1st class in 1996 as well as the highest state decoration – the Order of Ľudovít Štúr in 2004. In April 2020 the Slovenská pošta issued a stamp depicting Jarunková.

Works Her work was primarily focused on literature for children and teenagers, in particular girls.

1960 – Hrdinský zápisník 1961 – Čierna hodinka plná divov a fantázie 1962 – Deti slnka 1963 – Jediná 1963 – Zlatá sieť 1964 – O jazýčku, ktorý nechcel hovoriť 1967 – Brat mlčanlivého Vlka 1968 – Pomstiteľ, novela 1972 – Pár krokov po Brazílii 1974 – Tulák, novela 1974 – O psovi, ktorý mal chlapca 1977 – Tiché búrky 1978 – O Tomášovi, ktorý sa nebál tmy 1978 – Horehronský talizman 1978 – Stretnutie s nezvestným 1979 – Čierny slnovrat, román z obdobia SNP 1979 – Obrázky z ostrova 1980 – Kde bolo, tam bolo 1983 – O vtáčikovi, ktorý vedel tajomstvo 1984 – O dievčatku, ktoré šlo hľadať rozprávku 1986 – Rozprávky 1989 – Dedko a vlk 1993 – Nízka oblačnosť