Janko Leskovar with his short literary work leaves a deep mark in Croatian literature. With his first work, Misao na vječnost (1891), he announces the era of modernism. Leskovar creates hypersensible and indecisive characters that, due to the constant thinking of the past, can not make a happy present. The emphasis moves from social problems to introspection and self-analysis of characters, and his works become psychological studies of characters. These are determinants of modernism found in Leskovar's works. In addition to the definitions of modernism, there are visible remains of realism. In the roman Propali dvori he depicts the ruin of the noble family and the fall of their castle, which is the determinant of realism. The emphasis, however, is on the analysis of the internal situation of Pavel Petrovic who, due to the indecision and burden of the past, can not achieve love with young Ljudmila Borkovic. In the novel, elements from Leskovar's life can be found, such as platonic love, political views, and the Zagorje landscape that accompanies the feelings and moods of the characters. The romans written by Leskovar, Propali dvori and the Sjene ljubavi, are written in the spirit of time and breath of the writer like Leskovar, bounded by literary momentum and intensity. Critics about Leskovar say that he is the initiator of Croatian modernism, but at the same time blame him for the lack of interest in social issues. He found his characters at home and showed their development on the domestic soil, indicating that he hasn’t been influenced by foreign writers. These are the characters that are asocial, fragile and fearful of life.