Kajetan Kovič facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kajetan Kovič
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| Born | 21 October 1931 Maribor, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now in Slovenia) |
| Died | 7 November 2014 (aged 83) Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Occupation | poet, writer, journalist |
| Literary movement | Intimism |
| Notable works | Pesmi štirih, Ogenjvoda, Labrador, Ne bog ne žival, Moj prijatelj Piki Jakob, Maček Muri |
| Notable awards | Prešeren Award 1978 for his poetry collection Labrador Jenko Award 1993 for his poetry collection Sibirski cirkus |
Kajetan Kovič (born October 21, 1931 – died November 7, 2014) was a famous writer from Slovenia. He wrote many different things, including poems, stories, and books for children. He was also a journalist and translated books from other languages into Slovene. In 1978, he won the Prešeren Award, which is the highest award for artists in Slovenia. He received it for his collection of poems called Labrador.
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Life and Education
Kajetan Kovič was born in Maribor, Slovenia, in 1931. He spent his childhood in small towns like Poljčane and Hrastje–Mota. These towns are located in eastern Slovenia.
He finished high school in Maribor. Later, he studied at the University of Ljubljana. In 1956, he earned a degree in comparative literature. This means he studied and compared literature from different cultures. Kovič passed away on November 7, 2014.
Writing Career
Kovič started writing poems when he was still in high school. His first poems were published in 1948. He became very well-known for his poetry.
He also wrote many popular children's books. These books were loved by young readers. Kovič also wrote poems about important events and people.
Besides writing his own works, Kovič was a skilled translator. He translated poems from many languages into Slovene. These languages included German, French, Czech, and Russian. He even translated poems that France Prešeren, a famous Slovene poet, had written in German.
Awards and Special Recognition
Kajetan Kovič received several important awards for his writing. In 1967, he won the Prešeren Foundation Award. This was for his poetry collection called Ogenjvoda.
Later, in 1978, he received the even higher Grand Prešeren Award. This top honor was given for his poetry collection titled Labrador.
In 1993, he won the Jenko Award. This award came from the Slovene Writers' Association. It was for his poetry collection Sibirski Cirkus, which means "Siberian Cycle." Two years later, in 1995, he became a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. This is a very respected group of scientists and artists.
Famous Works
Kajetan Kovič wrote many books for different ages. Here are some of his most well-known works.
Children's Books
Kovič's books for children are especially popular.
- Franca izpod Klanca ("Francine From Under the Steep Hill," 1963)
- Zlata ladja ("The Golden Ship," 1969)
- Moj prijatelj Piki Jakob ("My Friend Piki Jacob," 1972)
- Maček Muri ("Muri the Tomcat," 1975)
- Zmaj Direndaj ("The Dragon Direndaj," 1981)
Poetry Collections
He published many collections of his poems.
- Utonil bi ("I Would Drown," 1948)
- Pesmi štirih ("Poems of the Four," 1953) – written with three other poets
- Ogenjvoda ("Firewater," 1965)
- Labrador (1976)
- Sibirski ciklus in druge pesmi raznih let ("The Siberian Cycle and Other Poems of Various Years," 1992)
Prose Works
Kovič also wrote longer stories and novels.
- Ne bog ne žival ("Neither God nor Beast," 1965)
- Tekma ali kako je arhitekt Nikolaj preživel konec tedna ("The Race, or How the Architect Nicholas Spent His Weekend," 1970)
- Profesor domišljije: ljubljanska zgodba ("The Professor of Imagination: A Tale of Ljubljana," 1996)
