The servant Jernej and his right is Cankar's work that has probably been translated into foreign languages the most. In addition, this famous story has been frequently adapted for other artistic media by various creators (playwrights, directors, actors, composers, etc.), so that to date there have been around 40 dramatizations, adaptations, musical settings, librettos, scripts and radio plays, and most recently an adaptation for comics. Dramatizations and adaptations of Cankar's story have been created continuously throughout time, from its first publication in 1907 to the present day, with the only exception being the period at the turn of the 20th to the 21st century, when there were no new adaptations. Jerne's servantIn recent times, there has been a resurgence of interest in it, both in some artistic media and in literary theory and philosophy, which testifies to its universality and continued relevance.
The problem area of this book is specific and clearly defined, so it does not delve into an in-depth reading of Cankar's story and its reception, but rather devotes itself to a fundamental research of the transpositions to date. Jerne's servant from literary works of art to other forms of artistic production, especially dramatizations and their performances in the theater. In addition to adaptations for dramatic and musical theater, which have been the most numerous so far and range from the early (partial) adaptation by Rudolf Golouh from 1910 to the most recent ("by motifs") by Žiga Divjak from 2018, the book also provides an overview of adaptations for radio, film, television and comics.
The author particularly emphasized the first (known) complete dramatization by Milan Skrbinšek, which was created exactly a hundred years ago, and the most penetrating and most frequently performed adaptation by Ferd Delak, which first appeared ninety years ago, first as a text for the dramatic stage, and then also as a libretto for musical theater. The basis for this book, as well as the exhibition I worked for 40 years. From our collections: Hlapec Jernej - from Cankar to Skrbinšek and Delak, which the author conceived with curator Teo Rogelj and was on display at the Slovenian Theatre Institute from November 29, 2022 to March 16, 2023, was his multi-year research into dramatizations and adaptations of Cankar's novella.
Although he conceived this fundamental research as an open work, as he is aware that it did not cover all the adaptations, especially their stagings and performances, which were countless, the book brings I worked for 40 years: dramatizations and adaptations of Cankar's The Servant Jernej some new findings about adaptations and productions that have been poorly researched or even completely unknown until now. In addition, for the first time, it collects data on all dramatizations, adaptations and productions in one place Jerne's servant, which the author has managed to record and process so far. The book also publishes a selection of visual material, which the author has collected from various sources, most of which is kept by the Slovenian Theatre Institute and was partially presented at the aforementioned exhibition.
The title of the book I Worked for 40 Years is a leitmotif, a kind of mantra, constantly repeated by Cankar's Jernej, who, after working on a farm for 40 years, had to set out on a journey from Pontius to Pilate in search of a servant's rights. The author notes that in modern terminology we would probably prefer to call this workers' rights, since today the servant Jernej could be a symbol or even the embodiment of a precarious worker. A member of the former peasant proletariat, he thus found himself in a radically new version Jerne's servant, written and directed by Žiga Divjak based on Cankar's story, transformed her into a member of the modern precariat.
Dr. Aldo Milohnić is a professor at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television of the University of Ljubljana, where he lectures on the history of theatre. Since 2013, he has been the head of the Centre for Theatrology and Filmology of the University of Ljubljana. He is the editor of numerous proceedings and thematic issues of professional and scientific journals, co-author of several books, author of numerous scientific and professional articles and author of scientific monographs Theories of contemporary theatre and performance (2009), Art in an age of law and capital (2016) and Theater of Rebellion (2021).
Editor: Zala Dobovšek
Reviewer: Lev Kreft and Mateja Pezdirc Bartol
Selection of visual material: Aldo Milohnić
Assistance in preparing visual material: Tea Rogelj and Zala Dobovšek
Digitization and preparation of image material for printing: Andrej Ovsec
Lecturer: Martin Vrtačnik
English summary editor: Jana Renée Wilcoxen
Name index: Aldo Milohnić and Zala Dobovšek
Design and preparation for printing: Nina Sturm