Dalla patria slava al panslavismo universale di Ljudevit Vulicevic

LJUDEVIT VULIČEVIĆ’S SLAV HOMELAND AND UNIVERSAL PAN-SLAVISM On the basis of definitions of “homeland” an analysis is produced of the meanings and references to this in the works of Ljudevit Vuličević. The first homeland is that identifiable with the cities of Cavtat and Dubrovnik. Examples are used to illustrate nostalgic images of this “tiny” and “proud” homeland, similar to those of a romantic poet who in dreams, a typical feature of European and Slav Romanticism, evokes its Mediterranean beauty and its glorious history, which is intermingled with the Slav myths of folk poetry. The image of Italy is the opposite and Vuličević offers a gloomy vision due to his own negative experiences and to the feeling of profound solitude which accompanied him throughout his time in Italy. Compensation/redemption is discovered in the sense of belonging to the great Slav family and in the Pan-Slavism which Vuličević understands as a supranational state along the lines of unified Italy which becomes a positive model of cohabitation and tolerance among the various, different peoples. This vision confirms his profound, albeit ambiguous and problematic, ties with Italy. Keywords: Ljudevit Vuličević, romanticism, Italy, Slavia, homeland, Slavs, Pan-Slavism