10 euro – Martin Kukučín – the 150th Anniversary of the Birth

Martin Kukučín (17. 5. 1860 - 21. 5. 1928) is one of the most significant and also most popular of Slovak writers. His prose works are still able to engage contemporary readers with their lively, natural language and timeless themes. He introduced the characters of ordinary rural folk into Slovak literature, with their everyday life and rich verbal expressions, which had a fundamental influence on the further development of our prose and literary language.

Among Kukučín's best-known works are short humorous prose works set in either the rural (Rysavá jalovica) or student (Mladé letá) environments. Over the long period of his medical practice on the island of Brač, he created his most famous novel Dom v stráni. His other works are also ground-breaking: the psychologically incisive novelette Neprebudený, the novel Dve cesty with its theme of death and of seeking a purpose for earthly existence, or the novel Dies Irae in which he poses the problem of guilt in human relations. As a realistic prose writer, he recognised the ambivalence inherent in human life, as a believing humanist he sought its harmony.

Obverse:

On the obverse of the coin is portrayed a landscape of Brač Island, with the authentic “house on the hillside” known from Martin Kukučín’s work of the same name (Dom v stráni). On the left side is an olive tree supplemented in the lower part by vine leaves and fruit, and on the right side is a sailing boat. To the right of it is the national emblem of the Slovak Republic. In the middle of the coin field is the nominal value of the coin, 10 EURO, below which is placed the country’s name SLOVENSKO and the year 2010. The stylized initials MR of the obverse designer, Miroslav Rónai, are located near the left rim of the coin.

Reverse:

On the reverse of the coin is a portrait of Martin Kukučín. On its left side is a young cuckoo, symbolizing the writer’s pen name. Below the portrait is a facsimile signature, Dr. Matej Bencúr. Near the right rim of the coin is the name and surname MARTIN KUKUČÍN and to the left of the portrait are the dates of his birth and death: 1860 – 1928. Below the facsimile signature is located the mark of Kremnica Mint MK between two dies, and on its right are the stylized initials of the designer of the reverse, Mgr. art. Peter Valach PV.