Elements of the spoken Slovakian language appeared before the 18th Century. However, the first to create a literary language was Anton Bernolk in the 18th Century, used also by two Slovak writers Jozef Bajza, the author of the first Slovak novel, and the classical poet Jn Holl, who wrote epic poems in Alexandrine verse, proving that the Slovak language can be compared to the complex forms of ancient poetry. The main representatives of Slovakian Classicism in literature include the 18th-century poet Jn Kollr and historian Pavel Afrik, who continued to write in the Czech language but whose works belong to the Slovakian literary heritage. Both writers became the two most significant promoters of Pan-Slavism, from the philosophical concepts of Johann Gottfried Herder, who taught a glorious future for Slavs. Kollr, Holl and Afrik greatly assisted the formation and awakening of a national conscience, and demonstrated the ways to create a national literature.

The most recognised personality of the 19th Century was the nationalist Ludovt Star, who was a scholar, writer and deputy in the Hungarian Diet. Star was the leading figure of the creation of a modern Slovak literary language, based on a dialect from central Slovakia and later adopted by the whole nation. Star was inspired by Helegian philosophy and developed the concepts of Slovakian Romanticism, which was linked to popular traditions and the preeminence of patriotism. The Slovakian Modernists included a 20th-century literary group led by Ivan Krasko. The style of Krasko is similar to Western Symbolists, yet exemplified worries for the fate of his people.