We echo the recorded experiences of others with the echo of our own memories.

Miroslav

Dino

The love story of the most famous Croatian artistic couple.

The rebellious Krleža failed the fourth grade of high school and entered the military academy in Pécs. He spent five years in the barracks. On a short leave, coming to Uncle Vuksan's at Đurđevićeva 16, he saw a blonde fourteen-year-old girl. Her name – Leposava, described her perfectly.

They chatted for a long time. But the young Miroslav had to return to Hungary. His rebellious spirit was not inclined to a military regime and, on the eve of the First World War, he fled to Serbia.

He wanted to participate in the Balkan Wars, prompted by his unitarist ideals. However, when he arrived in Belgrade, the Yugoslav authorities expelled him, accusing him of being a spy. He then comes again to Austria-Hungary, where the executive authorities arrest him and mobilize him as a home guard. They send him to the eastern front.

Although he is known for his significant anti-war work, he spent only two months on the real front. He was quickly wounded and sent for treatment, after which he waited out the end of the war in the rear war service in Požega and Zagreb. Living in Slavonia, he met Edita from Vukovar of Jewish origin. He fell in love with her, he asked her to be engaged. But she, without hesitation, refused him.

Disappointed, in August 1917 he came to Zagreb in front of the church of St. Mark. Even as a boy, he attended it only to look at girls. He was impressed by the beautiful sound of the organ, so he entered. Then he saw a beautiful light-skinned and blue-eyed blonde who, at that time, was considered a Zagreb femme fatale. Coming closer, he realized that it was Leposava, now grown up and attractive. She will later be better known as – Bela Krleža.

There is a quote by which he described her, that "she had a bun, a hat, a white blouse with lace details". A year later, their fateful meeting took place in Zrinjevac, where she was walking with a friend. Krleža stopped her and told her: - We know each other, we could talk! – and arranged a meeting the next day on the Gornjograd promenade.

Love at first sight happened. She too was impressed by a handsome young man dressed in the ceremonial uniform of the Austro-Hungarian army. But nothing went smoothly. Bela's parents strongly opposed the marriage. At that time, the girl was looking for employment as a teacher, and Krleži had just banned the publication of the magazine Plamen, and he was barely surviving on his whistleblowing.

They drank beer on dates, and Krleža successfully made his chosen one laugh to tears. Bela was more stubborn than Krleža and, to the despair of her parents, decided to marry a poor writer. Because of love, she was even baptized into Catholicism because her father was Orthodox. After two years of courtship, the young couple exchanged rings in 1919 at a small ceremony attended only by the godfathers, Milan Begović and Krleža's friend at the time, Ljubo Tadić.

After that, their life began. Attractive Bela, known for her temperament as an actress, did not do well in the role of a provincial teacher. Her children constantly annoyed her, and her work was boring. However, the newlyweds soon got lucky because their aunt, having passed away, bequeathed them an apartment with a Zagreb address.

Arriving in Zagreb, Bela decided to enroll in an acting course. She described her acting beginnings by saying: - I felt that evening that I was reborn and then I realized that the stage is my life! - Krležina Belica became a member of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb in 1928, and became famous for the role of the fatal Baroness Castelli in Glembajevi.

During her career, she acted in many of Krleža's dramas, and during the NDH, despite her Serbian origin, she played numerous leading roles. She worked hard to support herself and her husband. Namely, Krleža did not earn particularly much with his writing, and the couple lived relatively modestly.
            
But everything changed with the establishment of SFRY. Krleža, as a great communist, often hosted the president for life and his first lady. Soon, the artistic married couple moved to Villa Gvozd, where they stayed for the rest of their lives, and that villa became Zagreb's iconic artistic residence. They summered in Brijuni, and during the period of separation they sent each other letters in which the greatest Croatian writer complained about the summer heat and too many Czech tourists on the Adriatic.

In moments of love, Bela called Miroslava "Miško" and he called her "Belica". While they were arguing, they would address each other with Vi in letters. She addressed him as - "Mr. Krleža", and he addressed her as "Lepa Lukić". There weren't that many quarrels, the only serious quarrel that could threaten their marriage was the one that happened when Miroslav left for Warsaw.
            
There he met the writer Sofija Nalkovska. She made a strong impression on him, and he told his friends about her that he couldn't talk to any other woman like she did. This made the temperamental Bela very angry, and she refused to communicate with her Misha.

At that time, he addressed her officially, mostly asking her for money or clothes. However, what seemed like an adventure did not shake the marriage of this famous couple. They stayed together even in difficult moments of separation when Miroslav had to hide from the Ustasha and when he was extremely poor because he was forbidden to publish.

The couple had no children, and they slept in separate bedrooms in their villa. It was mentioned that Bela had several abortions, and Krleža would declare when asked about children: - I know everything in my family and I didn't want my children to look like anyone. –

Belica and Mishko

How did Krleža fail the fourth grade of high school?

Krleža was a real bully as a child. As in his later years, he rebelled against all authority and always did as he pleased. A boy from the center, having enrolled in the Donjograd gymnasium, fell in love with his Latin teacher, a certain Muller, who came to the Zagreb gymnasium as a substitute. He argued with him every day.

He would criticize him for various little things - that he didn't tie his tie properly, that his hands were dirty, that he didn't write his homework neatly and many other things. He was always guilty of something. However, according to the custom of the time, every offense was followed by a beating, and often an insult. On one occasion, Miroslav did not want to put up with the bullying anymore, and when he was beaten, he defiantly stood up and said: - I am now going to the director and I will report you for beating me. - Following his plan, he ran into the director's office and told him everything, after which he transferred him to the Gornjograd gymnasium.

However, as Krleža claimed until the end of his life, a conspiracy against him took place there as well. Three professors – Latin, Greek and physics, mercilessly demolished him at the end of the fourth grade. Miroslav accepted the unit in Greek as possibly fair, but he could not reconcile himself to the insufficient Latin because he claimed that he was one of the best Latin in the class! He had a hard time accepting the grade drop, he was depressed for a year. Disappointed in the "conspiratorial" Zagreb, he decided to go to the military academy in Pécs, and later to Budapest, where he spent five full years of schooling. Thus, the young Latinist turned into a cynic, as he remained for the rest of his life.

Naughty schoolboy

Thus, one anecdote says that once Miroslav entered Blato at the moment when Tin Ujević was sitting in it.

Krleža, like many writers, was a frequent guest of Zagreb cafes. He liked to visit Blato, a famous cafe on the corner of Gundulićeva and Masarykova streets in Zagreb, where bohemians gathered.

Thus, one anecdote says that once Miroslav entered Blato at the moment when Tin Ujević was sitting in it. When he saw him, he said: - Good day, people, and to you, drunken poet! –

Tin, of course, did not oblige him, so he responded with: - Good day to you too, flag of all colors! –

This story is not hard to believe because it is known that the two giants did not kiss much.

Flags of all colors

Once, Tito and Krleža came together to a theater performance. Krleža then jokingly told him...

It is known that Krleža and Tito were great friends and that Miroslav was more protected than the "Lika Bear". However, some witnesses say that Krleža did not flatter Tito at all. On the contrary!

One of their acquaintances told an anecdote about how, he says, Tito and Krleža once came to a theater performance together.

The people were upset, and Krleža told Tito: - You, Tito, wherever you go, you spoil the atmosphere. –

Lika bear

The Tuđmans were great friends with the Krleža family. That's how Ankica Tuđman described an interesting anecdote that Bela told her.

"Before her acting career, Bela worked as a teacher in a town in Zagorje. Therefore, she had a gift for communicating with children and was patient in conversations with them. She told us a cute story about those teacher days, when she and Krleža were already together. She went to Zagreb on business, and Krleža was in charge of roasting the turkey for dinner. When he came back, the turkey was roasted, but not salted."

Tuđman, A. (2006). My life with Francek. Zagreb: Večernji list. p. 109.

Roasted turkey

They both loved food. Krleža liked choice food, but he ate little. Bela was a real gourmand, so Miško would respect her: "But, Belice!"

"They both loved good food. Krleža liked choice food, but he ate little. Mrs. Bela loved to dip a morsel of bread in the baking juice on the serving plate, to which Krleža always reacted:
- But, Belice! –
And she would retort:
- Well, I'm fine. That's just us locals, so why not soak the bread in this delicious baking sauce! –“

Tuđman, A. (2006). My life with Francek. Zagreb: Večernji list. p. 108.

Baking juice

Krleža would generally accept the invitation saying: "You devil, you don't let me work, and I have so much to finish."

"When Bela was bored and wanted to go out somewhere, she would call me: - Ankice, please call Krleža and tell him that you are inviting me to your legendary quince brandy, or that we should go out somewhere because I really want to go out. It is so depressing to spend these wonderful autumn evenings indoors. He just works, reads and writes, and I'm eager to go out and talk. –
– I'll call him when you want, but it's embarrassing, I know he's working. I'm afraid he won't get angry. - I would say.
"He's angry at you!" Well, he cannot resist your invitations, he simply cannot refuse you. He will surely agree. – Bela would beg me.

Francek didn't have time to chat either, but I couldn't refuse her because she was waiting for that phone call. Krleža would generally accept the invitation saying: "You devil, you don't let me work, and I have so much to finish."

Krleža sometimes used to insert "you", which was an expression of his sympathy. They were at our place for dinner two or three times a week, and Krleža also liked to go out into nature, mostly towards Zagorje, so we were invited on trips and to their home.

When our friendship was already "old", I was no longer shy in his presence, so I knew how to answer him in my own way. Once, in Francek's presence, he said to me: - How beautiful you are tonight! –
And I answered: - Only tonight? –
He looked at Francek in astonishment and said: - Tuđman, what do you say about this immodesty? –

Of course, neither Francek nor I interpreted those compliments as something rude or intrusive, just as I was not jealous of Bela's compliments to my husband. They were a classy, ​​educated couple with nice manners and it was a pleasure to be friends with them."

Tuđman, A. (2006). My life with Francek. Zagreb: Večernji list. p. 108-109.

"Just tonight?" –

"Krleža was especially attentive to Belica. He used to send her flowers for no reason, both at the theater and at home. He loved those cavalier gestures and enjoyed Bella's pleasure. He was not angry at her remarks about his fatness because he thought that she was taking care of him when she said to him: - Krleža, you must walk as much as possible. You are constantly sitting, you are constantly among those papers! –“

Do you have any stories about this person?

Read more stories