Tomaž Šalamun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tomaž Šalamun
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Šalamun in 2005
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| Born | July 4, 1941 Zagreb, Independent State of Croatia |
| Died | December 27, 2014 (aged 73) Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Language | Slovene |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Alma mater | University of Ljubljana |
| Literary movement | Neo-avant-garde |
| Notable awards | Pushcart Prize, Prešeren Fund Award, European Prize for Poetry |
| Spouse | Metka Krašovec |
Tomaž Šalamun (born July 4, 1941 – died December 27, 2014) was a famous poet from Slovenia. He was a very important writer in Central Europe after World War II. People around the world knew him for his unique, sometimes surprising, and playful poems. His poems were so popular that they were translated into 21 different languages! Nine of his 39 poetry books were even published in English. Many people saw his work as a special link between old European ideas and American poetry. Šalamun was also a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He lived in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and was married to the painter Metka Krašovec.
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About Tomaž Šalamun's Life
Tomaž Šalamun's mother's family were part of the Slovene minority living in Italy. They, like many other Slovenes, had to leave their homes because of forced Italianization. This meant they were made to speak Italian and follow Italian customs. So, his family moved from Italy to Yugoslavia, where Tomaž was born in Zagreb in 1941.
His father's family came from Ptuj, a town where his grandfather had been the mayor. Later, Tomaž's family moved to Koper. There, his high school teachers, who taught French and Slovene, helped him discover his love for language.
In 1960, he started studying art history and history at the University of Ljubljana. Art and learning ran in his family! His mother was an art historian. His brother, Andraž, is an artist. His two sisters, Jelka and Katarina, are a biologist and a literary historian. Tomaž Šalamun passed away in Ljubljana on December 27, 2014.
His Creative Work
In 1964, Tomaž Šalamun was the editor of a literary magazine called Perspektive. He published a poem there called "Duma '64" (which means 'Thought '64'). This poem was seen as very bold and new.
However, a powerful politician named Ivan Maček, who was a strong supporter of the leader Josip Broz Tito, saw a "dead cat" in the poem. The word for 'cat' in Slovene is maček, which was also the politician's last name. He thought the poem was about him! Because of this, Perspektive magazine was banned, and Šalamun was arrested.
He spent five days in jail. When he came out, many people saw him as a hero for standing up for artistic freedom. Even though the poem caused trouble, he didn't include it in his first poetry book. This book came out in 1966. It was a samizdat edition, meaning it was published secretly. The book was full of playful, wild, and sometimes silly poems that challenged normal ideas.
Poetry Books in English
Many of Tomaž Šalamun's poetry collections have been translated into English. Some of these include:
- The Selected Poems of Tomaž Šalamun (1988)
- The Shepherd, the Hunter (1992)
- The Four Questions of Melancholy (1997)
- Feast (2000)
- Poker
- Row! (2006)
- The Book for My Brother
- Woods and Chalices (2008)
- There's the Hand and There's the Arid Chair (2009)
- On the Tracks of Wild Game (2012)
- Soy Realidad (2014)
- Justice (2015)
- Andes (2016)
- Druids (2019)
- Opera Buffa (2022)
Some American poets who influenced his writing include Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, and Walt Whitman.
Awards and Recognition
Tomaž Šalamun won several important awards for his poetry. These include:
- The Pushcart Prize
- Slovenia's Prešeren Fund Award
- The Jenko Prize
He and his German translator, Fabjan Hafner, also received the European Prize for Poetry from the German city of Muenster. In 2004, he was given Romania's Ovid Festival Prize.
See also
In Spanish: Tomaž Šalamun para niños
