Drago Jančar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Drago Jančar
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| Born | 13 April 1948 Maribor, Yugoslavia (now in Slovenia) |
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| Literary movement | Postmodernism, Magical realism |
Drago Jančar (born 13 April 1948) is a famous Slovenian writer, playwright, and essayist. He is one of the most well-known writers from Slovenia today. He is also known for sharing his thoughts on politics and being involved in public life.
Jančar's novels, essays, and short stories have been translated into 21 languages. They have been published in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Many of his works are translated into German, Czech, and Croatian. His plays have been performed in many theaters outside Slovenia. In Slovenia, his plays are often seen as the best of the theater season. He lives and works in Ljubljana.
Contents
Life Story of Drago Jančar
Early Life and Education
Drago Jančar was born in Maribor, a city in what was then Yugoslavia. His father was from the Prekmurje region and joined the Slovene Partisans during World War II. Jančar studied law in his hometown.
Challenges and Early Career
While he was a student, Jančar became the chief editor of a student magazine called Katedra. He soon had problems with the government because he published articles that questioned the ruling system. He had to leave the magazine.
Later, he found a job as an assistant at the Maribor newspaper Večer. In 1974, he was arrested by the authorities. This happened because he brought a booklet into Yugoslavia that he had bought in Austria. The booklet was about events that happened after World War II. He was sentenced to prison but was released after three months. After his release, he had to serve in the military in southern Serbia. There, he faced difficulties because of his past arrest.
Moving to Ljubljana and Literary Connections
After finishing his military service, Jančar returned to Večer briefly. However, he was only allowed to do office work. He decided to move to Ljubljana. In Ljubljana, he met many important artists and thinkers who also questioned the government's cultural rules. These included Edvard Kocbek and Rudi Šeligo.
Between 1978 and 1980, he worked as a screenwriter for a film studio. He left this job because a movie script he worked on was censored. In 1981, he became a secretary for the Slovenska matica publishing house, where he is now an editor.
In 1982, he helped start a magazine called Nova revija. This magazine quickly became a main voice for different ideas and opposition in Slovenia. He also became friends with Boris Pahor, a Slovenian writer who wrote about his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. Jančar has often said that Pahor greatly influenced him.
Growing Recognition
Early in his career, Jančar was not allowed to publish his works easily. But in the late 1970s, after the deaths of leaders like Tito, things became more open. This allowed him to work as a screenwriter and playwright. In the mid-1980s, his novels and short stories started to become successful. His plays also gained recognition across Yugoslavia. From the late 1980s, his fame began to spread outside Slovenia, especially in Central Europe.
Since the early 1990s, he has continued to work as an editor at the Slovenska matica publishing house in Ljubljana.
Drago Jančar's Works
Writing Style and Themes
Jančar started writing when he was a teenager. His first short novels were published in the magazine Mladina.
His writing style is influenced by modern ideas. A main theme in his works is the struggle between individuals and powerful systems. These systems can be like prisons or military groups. He is known for his short, clear, and often funny writing style. He often uses unexpected twists that are both sad and funny. Most of his novels explore real events and situations in Central European history. He sees these events as examples of what it means to be human.
Essays and Public Commentary
Jančar also writes essays and articles about current political and cultural events. During the conflict in Bosnia, he supported the people of Bosnia. He even visited the city of Sarajevo while it was under attack. He brought supplies collected by the Slovene Writers' Association to the people there. In his essay "Short Report from a City Long Besieged," he wrote about the conflicts in Yugoslavia. He also thought about the role of thinkers in national and political disagreements.
In the 1990s, he had discussions with the Austrian writer Peter Handke about the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Drago Jančar as a Public Figure
Supporting Democracy
Between 1987 and 1991, Jančar was the president of the Slovene PEN Center. In this role, he actively supported the growth of democracy in Slovenia. In 1987, he was one of the writers who created the "Contributions to the Slovenian National Program." This was a statement calling for a democratic and independent Slovenian state.
During a trial in Ljubljana in 1988, he helped organize the first public gathering against the government in Slovenia since 1945. This event took place in Congress Square in Ljubljana. Before the first democratic elections in April 1990, Jančar actively supported the opposition candidate Jože Pučnik. During the Slovenian War of Independence, he and other writers helped gather international support for Slovenia's independence.
Later Public Involvement
Since 1995, he has been a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
In 2000, Slovenia's most popular newspaper, Delo, published his essay "Xenos and Xenophobia." In this essay, he suggested that some media were encouraging negative feelings towards certain groups. He had made similar points since 1994.
Even though Jančar has never been a politician, he publicly supported the Slovenian Democratic Party in the general elections of 2000 and 2004.
In 2004, he helped start a group called Rally for the Republic. This group supported liberal conservative ideas.
Awards and Honors
Drago Jančar has received many important awards for his writing:
- 1993: Prešeren Award for his stories, plays, and essays.
- 1994: European Short Story Award (Augsburg).
- 1999: Kresnik Award for best novel of the year (for "Ringing In The Head").
- 2001: Kresnik Award for best novel of the year (for "Catherine, The Peacock And The Jesuit").
- 2003: Herder Prize for literature.
- 2007: Jean Améry Prize for European essay-writing.
- 2009: Premio Hemingway prize.
- 2009: Premio Mediterraneo prize.
- 2011: Kresnik Award for best novel of the year (for "I Saw Her That Night").
- 2011: European Prize for Literature.
- 2021: Honorary Doctor of the University of Maribor.
See also
In Spanish: Drago Jančar para niños
- List of Slovenian writers
- Slovenian literature
- Culture of Slovenia
- Simona Škrabec
