In spite of its richness and long history, Slovak literature is one of the least-known Slavic literatures in the English-speaking world. Few translations of Slovak works exist and until now there has been no systematic English-language history of the field. A History of Slovak Literature provides an excellent introduction to this important but overlooked body of writing.

Like Czech, Polish, and Ukrainian writing, Slovak literature transcended the merely literary to become an influential political and cultural tool; Slovak writers and poets played an important role in promoting and protecting the culture and language of their people against invading cultures.