In this novel, written by the esteemed novelist in 1901, a provincial composer and organist from Croatia struggles to find his way along the perilous frontier between the worlds of artistic vocation and humdrum family life. The local kapellmeister---a Czech, in good Habsburg tradition, and a confidant of Gaj and Palacky, influential politicians of the time---recognizes young Amadej Zlatanic as a prodigy and persuades the stingy mayor and stubborn parish priest to pack the teenager off to the conservatory in Prague. After several years of sordid student purgatory, Amadej returns to...

Posljednji Stipancici predstavljaju vrhunac knjizevnog opusa Vjenceslava Novaka, ali istovremeno su i najreprezentativnije djelo hrvatskog realizma. Roman se bavi temom propadanja stare hrvatske patricijske obitelji kao i povijesnim i socijalnim okolnostima koje to propadanje uzrokuju.