The novel Tereza (1989) spans over the period from the end of the 19th century to the 1920s, it takes place in Ljubljana that was gravely affected by an earthquake in 1895, in the Slovenian countryside and in Vienna. The author’s debut work was described as an attempt of a family or epochal novel. The story connects the fates of a Ljubljana merchant Barda and his family, especially his two sons, Ernest and Ivan. Ernest who suffers from asthma spends a part of his youth in a mountain village where he meets his great love. The major turn in Ivan’s life comes about when he moves to Vienna to study medicine. Erotic and existential relationships among the characters are in the focus of author’s interest whearas the historical period is just a – very convincingly crafted – setting. A part of narration is in a form of epistolar novel, while the entire novel could be read as pastiche, referring to models from 18th and 19th century.
