Jože Kerenčič was a Slovenian writer, journalist, partisan and national hero. He was known as an activist of the Liberation front. His illegal name was Janko. He was born in Jastrebci on March 9th 1913, he died in Maribor on December 27th 1941, at the age of 28.

He attended primary school in Kog, secondary school and college of education in Maribor. Already as a secondary school student he joined the progressive movement and became a member of Skoj (Federation of communist youth of Yugoslavia). He continued his education at the University of Ljubljana, in year 1937 he graduated in philosophy and pedagogy. Throughout his study years, he was a member of academic student club Njiva and KPJ (Communist party of Yugoslavia). He was expelled from KPJ due to different views on how to solve the farmer’s question, as this was not in accordance with the party direction. His first employment was in year 1940, at the bourgeois school in Gornja Radgona, where he was teaching from autumn until spring next year. Upon arrival of Germans in year 1941 he was devoted to the organisation of illegal resistance work. The conference of activists of Liberation front was at his home. From summer 1941 he had stayed in Pesnica, but was on November 17th 1941 betrayed, where he was then arrested by gestapo. On November 27th 1941 it came as a terrible fate, as he was shot in the courtyard of the judicial prisons in Maribor. He died with consciousness of a communist fighter, he was convinced, that he was dying for freedom and better days for his people. On November 27th 1953 he was honoured with the order of national hero. Several streets in Slovenian towns are named after him, and so is the square in Ormož.

His works were connected with Slovenia-Gorica people. He was known mostly by his social studies with romantic comprehension of Slovenian farmers. In his works he presented the bitter days of his youth. He wanted to disclose the woe of his people to the world, to break down and to explain the life crisis. He advocated and fought for fairer world, his wish was to raise awareness among people.

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