| Janko Matúška | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 January 1821 Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin), Habsburg Monarchy (now Slovakia) |
| Died | 11 January 1877 (aged 56) Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin), Habsburg Monarchy (now Slovakia) |
| Resting place | Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin) |
| Residence | Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin) |
| Nationality | Slovak (ethnic) Habsburg Monarchy (citizen) |
| Other names | Janko Vlastimil Matúška |
| Education | Bratislava (Pozsony) Lutheran Lýceum |
| Occupation | Clerk of the Court, Orava(Árva) |
| Known for | author of Slovak national anthem |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Spouse | Žofia née Veselovská |
| Parents | Juraj Matúška Zuzana Bencúrová |
Janko Matúška (* 10 January 1821, Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin), † 11 January 1877, Dolný Kubín) was a Slovak poet, activist, occasional playwright, and clerk of the court. He is best known as the author of the Slovak national anthem, Nad Tatrou sa blýska ("Lightning Over the Tatras").
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Janko Matúška was born into a craftsman's family in Alsókubin, Kingdom of Hungary (today Dolný Kubín, Slovakia).[1] He began to attend school there, then probably at the Gömör Gymnázium, and finally he studied at the prestigious Bratislava (Pozsony) Lutheran Lýceum (preparatory high school and college) where he took courses in the Institute of Czechoslovak Language and Literature while majoring in theology. Ľudovít Štúr, the only professor teaching courses offered by the institute at that time, was fired in December 1843 under pressure from the kingdom's authorities, who objected to his pro-Slovak activism. 23-year-old Janko Matúška wrote "Lightning Over the Tatras" when he and other students were agitated about the subsequent repeated denials of their appeals to the school board to reverse Štúr's dismissal.[2] About two dozen students, including Matúška, decided to leave the lýceum in protest in March 1844. Matúška went to take his final exams at the Lutheran gymnázium in Tisovec (Tiszolc). He lived in Árva for most of his adult life. He stopped writing after the Revolutions of 1848. He worked in government offices after 1850, and was Clerk of the County Court in Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin) from 1870 to 1875. He died the day after his 56th birthday and was buried in Dolný Kubín (Alsókubin).
He started writing at the lýceum. He focused on poetry, especially ballads and fables. He also wrote some prose and drama and translated from Polish, for instance Dziady by Adam Mickiewicz.[1]