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Zorka Kalić Hovorka

1865–1939
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Spouse Slavko Hovorka
Date of birth April 17, 1865
Date of death 1939
Web address

Personal situation

Zorka Hovorka was born in Novi Sad on April 17, 1865. She lost her father, a clerk in the magistrate's office, quite early so her brother, Mita Kalić, took care of her. He and their sister, Darinka Peleš, also engaged in literary work. She first attended the French Institute, where she first learned to read and write in French and German. She was educated in Novi Sad and Subotica, where she finished the national teachers' school. She finished Higher School for Girls in Pest. She worked as a teacher in Jasenovo for four years, after which she moved to Moldava, the Czech Republic. It was there that she met her future husband.

In Moldava, she met her husband, Czech physician Slavko Hovorka, who served in Banat at that time. They married on June 26, 1883, and in 1884 left for Prague. In the Czech Republic, she actively worked to promote Serbian culture. Together with her husband, she organized amateur performances from Serbian literature.

She was a close friend of Czech writers Josef Holeček and Ružena Svobodova.

At the end of her life, she returned to Serbia and lived with her relatives in Glina until her death. She died in November 1939.

Place of birth Novi Sad
Place(s) of residence Czech Republic and Serbia
Place of death Glina
Nationality Serbian
First language(s) Czech and Serbian
Marital status Married
Social class Middle class
Education School education

Professional situation

When she came to Prague in 1884, she began working with her husband on the promotion of Serbian culture. Together they organized theater performances from Serbian literature, translated Serbian literary works and taught the Serbian anguage and literature to the Czech people. They also edited the Srbská knihovna edition.

From 1900, she was actively cooperating with the Czech Women's Association, and from 1908 to 1912, she was also its president.

In Prague, in 1910, she organized an ethnographic exhibition entitled The Serbian Woman. This exhibition of folk arts was attended by Katarina Holecova, Jelica Belović-Bernadžikovska, Zorka Jeremić and Zorka Janković, and Czech women writers Madlena Vanklova, Eliška Z. Purkynova and Pavla Maternová.

She worked in the edition of the journal Ženský svĕt  (Women's World) together with the writer Tereza Novakova. She worked for seven years in the administration of the journal and then became a member of the editorial board.

She actively engaged in translation work. Thanks to her, Janko Veselinović, Jovan Jovanović - Zmaj, and Branislav Nušić were translated to Czech.

She collaborated in the work of the following magazines: Javor (The Maple, 1886, 1887, 1890), Kolo (The Circle, 1901, 1902), Brankovo kolo (Branko's Circle, 1903, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910), Nova iskra (The New Spark, 1902), Bosanska vila (The Bosnian Fairy, 1909). She also collaborated in the work of the following Czech journals: Ženský svět, Praha (1901, 1904, 1905), Zlatá Praha (1909), Den (1909). She edited the periodical Srpsko cveće (Serbian Flowers, 1905-1906).

Translated by Marija Bulatović

Profession(s) and other activities other, social-cultural activist, contributor to periodical press, and teacher/governess
Language(s) in which she wrote Czech and Serbian
Financial aspects of her career Salary and Other
Memberships Of editorial boards and Other

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