Miha Mazzini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miha Mazzini
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Miha Mazzini
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| Born | 3 June 1961 Jesenice, PR Slovenia, Yugoslavia |
| Occupation | Novelist, screenwriter, film director, columnist |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Alma mater | University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana |
| Period | 1981 to present |
| Genre | Novel, Short story, Film |
| Notable works | Guarding Hanna, The Cartier Project, King of the Rattling Spirits |
Miha Mazzini (born June 3, 1961) is a well-known writer, screenwriter, and film director from Slovenia. He was born in Jesenice, a town in what was then Yugoslavia. He has written over thirty books, and his stories have been translated into ten different languages! He also has advanced degrees in anthropology and creative writing. He is a voting member of the European Film Academy, which means he helps decide on important European films.
Contents
Miha Mazzini's Life Story
Miha Mazzini's childhood was quite unique. His grandmother believed she could see ghosts and angels. His mother, on the other hand, was a big admirer of communist leaders and was very strict with him.
He has written about his childhood in Yugoslavia, especially during the time when Tito was in charge. He wrote three novels about these early years.
- In his 2002 novel, King of the Rattling Spirits, the main character is 12 years old. This book was based on his 2001 film script called Sweet Dreams.
- His 2015 novel, Childhood, tells the story of a five-year-old.
- In his third novel, "It's Personal" (2022), he looks back at his childhood and how it affected him.
His very first novel was called Crumbs (also known as The Cartier Project in America). It was published in 1989 and was set in his hometown of Jesenice. This book was incredibly popular, selling 54,000 copies! It even won an award from the government for being the best novel of the year. Mazzini also received an award from the opposition for his excellent writing. This was quite unusual because Yugoslavia was starting to break apart at that time.
Miha Mazzini was the first Slovenian writer to write a novel about "the erased". These were people who lost all their legal rights and official status after Slovenia became an independent country in 1991. Later, he turned this novel into a feature film called Erased.
His historical novel, Paloma Negra, is about "Yu-Mex" music from the 1950s. This was when singers in Yugoslavia started to copy the songs and music they saw in Mexican films. While researching for the novel, Mazzini recorded stories from people who lived through that time. He even made a documentary film about it called "Yugoslav Mexico (YuMex)". Another novel, German Lottery, is set in the same period. It tells a story about people who trick others and things that are not what they seem.
Miha Mazzini's Work
Writing Style
After 1990, Miha Mazzini brought a new kind of main character to Slovene literature. His novel Guarding Hanna features a tough protagonist, which is common in detective or crime stories. These characters might not always tell the full truth, making the reader wonder what is real.
Awards and Recognition
Miha Mazzini has won many awards for his writing and films.
- His novel Cartier Project was the best-selling novel ever in Yugoslavia. It won the 1987 Best Novel of the Year award from both pro-government and opposition newspapers.
- His short stories have been chosen for international collections. For example, his story "Mother" was in Contemporary European Fiction, and "Avro Lancaster" was in Best European Fiction 2018.
- In 2012, his story "That Winter" received the Pushcart Prize, a well-known American literary award.
- Mazzini won the 2016 Kresnik Award for his novel Otroštvo (Childhood). This is one of the most important literary awards in Slovenia.
- In 2019, he won awards for best screenplay for his film Erased. He received these at the FEST festival in Belgrade, Serbia, and at the Raindance festival in London, UK.
Miha Mazzini's Films
Miha Mazzini has written and directed several films:
- Cartier Project (1991, TV film, scriptwriter)
- You're Free. Decide. (1999, short film, scriptwriter and director)
- Sweet Dreams (2001, feature film, scriptwriter)
- The Orphan with the magic voice (2003, short film, scriptwriter and director)
- A Very Simple Story (2008, short film, scriptwriter and director)
- Erased (2018, feature film, scriptwriter and director)
A Special Web Film Project
A Very Simple Story is a unique film project. It's a script that has been read by actresses from different countries in their own languages. Miha Mazzini wrote the script and directed both the Slovenian and Italian versions of the film. This project was even nominated for the Prix Europe award, which recognizes excellent European TV and online productions.
