Darina Laščiaková

Author Miriam Gažová presents Darina Laščiaková (born 1931) in her biographical publication, a legendary interpreter of Slovak folk songs, ethnographer, and radio editor. The author's intention is to gain a deeper understanding of Darina Laščiaková's editorial work style and approach, uncovering the motivations that led her to take steps to preserve the national heritage. The book highlights Darina Laščiaková's life lived in her native Orava region, as well as her work as a radio editor with a unique approach to the topics she covered. The text was based on the author's research in the archives of RTVS (Radio and Television of Slovakia), interviews with Darina Laščiaková, her colleagues, and friends. The main goal was to analyze Laščiaková's relationship with the environment where folk songs originated, where she lived, and how she dealt with them in the conditions of a radio studio and with the help of music composers. The manner of storytelling and expression, dialects and archaisms reaching back to ancient times, cultural and spiritual values, melodies, and songs—Darina Laščiaková sought to preserve all of this in the enduring golden chest of the Slovak nation. The publication includes a CD supplement with recordings of works by Ján Cikker and Ilja Zeljenka performed by Darina Laščiaková from the archives of RTVS and the OPUS publishing house. The book is complemented by photographs from the family archives, lists of programs, songs, and released media.