Katka Zupančič

Zupančič was best known for her children's poetry which she also illustrated. Writing in Slovene, she used simple language and evoked the austerity of immigrant life tempered by humor and from a child's point of view.[10] Her poetry uses a refined approach depicting the state of common people, much like other American Slovene poets, though framed not through realistic depiction of events but using an affecting, subjective perspective. She used the traditional ballad form with irregular rhythm, rhyme and line length.[11]

Her work dealt with dark aspects of American life and tactfully showed her disappointment with the American Dream.[12] Zupančič's poems are about the emotional toll of modern events—the Great Depression and men's shame over losing their jobs; the tragedies of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War begetting homelessness, starvation and fratricide; and the plights of women and children without love.[11]

Most of Zupančič's stories, like her poetry, are written for children, though some deal with social topics that are more mature.[4] Unlike some works of prose written by immigrants, her writing lifts women's role to that of the protagonist and fleshes out characters' psychological motivation. Many protagonists in her stories have in some way been abused or humiliated, thereby having emotional damage. The author's word choice is specific and pathetic, often with dark humor. Her stories are lengthy and characterized by fast pace, familiar idioms, biblical allusions and bitterness, particularly in connection to women's lowly status. Most of her stories are set in Slovenia, especially those that deal with cruelty to women, violence which Zupančič suggested was almost expected in lower-class families.[13]

Some Zupančič short stories, like much immigrant literature of the time, criticize conditions in the United States—she comments on bankers causing the Depression, economic collapse destroying families and a perceived hypocrisy among the clergy. Other stories show the lasting consequences of apparently trivial actions. Her story "Dota" ("The Dowry", 1932) critiques fathers who act as autocrats holding their daughters' feelings in disregard: a young woman is forced to marry a greedy man who swindles his way into getting a large dowry in compensation for her ugliness. When they return from the wedding, the bride's shepherd is startled and frightens the horses pulling the couple's sleigh. They tear off the road and the bride, though smiling, is found dead in the snow. This theme is shared by her story "Žensko dete" ("The Baby Girl", 1946), where the title character confesses the rejection she and her sister feel from their father because of their gender.[14]