Matilda Tomšič Sebenikar

Matilda Tomšič Sebenikar, also known under the pseudonym Desimira, (13 February 1847 – 12 September 1933) was a Slovenian innkeeper, poet, writer and national activist. She was one of the first Slovenian children literature writers. Her mother was innkeeper Frančiška Novak, and her father was teacher and inn owner Matija Tomšič. Among her siblings was the teacher and politician Emanuel Tomšič (1824–1881). From her father's first marriage she also had a half-brother, Bernard Tomšič (1811–1856), a teacher and writer. Her father died when she was three years old. She published her works under the pseudonym Desimira. Later she published in the Trieste newspaper Slovenka, in the children's magazine Zvonček, the Trieste newspaper Edinost, and the literary journal Dom in svet. In 2025 a selected volume of her works was published: Naj besede povedo: izbor po revijah in časnikih objavljenih del Matilde Sebenikar – Desimire (Let the Words Speak: A Selection of Works by Matilda Sebenikar – Desimira Published in Magazines and Newspapers). Due to her efforts, in January 1896 a local branch covering Rakek, Cerknica, and Planina was founded. She served as its first president. Later she served as its treasurer.