The modernist Srečko Kosovel died at 22 of meningitis

Many of Slovenia’s great poets died young. Slovenia’s ultimate poet, France Prešeren, died at just 48. The great writer and poet Ivan Cankar died at the age of 42. And, most unfortunately, the modernist Srečko Kosovel died at 22 of meningitis. However, their work remains. Kosovel left more than a 1,000 poems behind. Prešeren’s poem Zdravljica forms the basis of the current national anthem, and Cankar’s plays are still performed today.