Marjan Rožanc
Encyclopedia
Marjan Rožanc was a Slovenia
n author
, playwright
and journalist
. He is mostly known for his essay
s, and is considered one of the foremost essayists in the Slovene language, along with Ivan Cankar
, Jože Javoršek
and Drago Jančar
, and as a great master of style.
He was born in a working-class suborb of Polje
in Ljubljana
, Slovenia (then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
). He attended high school during World War Two, when the Province of Ljubljana
was occupied by Italian troops. After the war, he shortly worked as a manual worker. In 1950, he was drafted in the Yugoslav People's Army
, serving in Požarevac
, Serbia
. Because of his non-comformist attitudes, he was accused of "hostile propaganda" against the Communist regime, and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He was released in 1955, and returned to Slovenia.
He settled in Maribor
, where he started a career as a journalist. In the early 1950s, he moved back to Ljubljana, where he took up a career as a freelance writer and columnist. He became involved in a circle of young intellectuals known as the Critical generation. He also became a close friend of the Christian Socialist poet Edvard Kocbek
and the existentialist playwright Dominik Smole
. In third period, he grew closer to Christian ideals, especially through the influence of Christian existentialist thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard
and Miguel de Unamuno
.
He became a co-editor of the alternative independent literary journal Perspektive and later also the director of the experimental theatre called Stage 57 (Oder 57). In 1964, the theatre tried to stage one of Rožanc's critical plays, entitled Greenhouse, but the Communist regime violently interrupted the staging. Rožanc established connection with Slovene Roman Catholic intellectuals from Trieste
(Italy
), critical towards the Yugoslav Communist system, and published several articles in the journal Most, edited by Boris Pahor
and Alojz Rebula
. He was again sentenced for two years and a half, but released on parole. In the 1970s, he worked as a sport manager in Ljubljana. In 1979, he published his most famous novel, "Love" (Ljubezen), an autobiographical account of the everyday life of a growing child in Ljubljana during World War Two. In the same year, he settled in the Kras
region in the Slovenian Littoral
, and continued to publish essays and short stories in various Slovenian journals. In 1987, he was among the authors of the Contributions to the Slovenian National Program
.
In 1990, he actively supported the candidature of Jože Pučnik
as President of Slovenia
, but never joined any political party or organization.
He died in Ljubljana.
In 1993, the Rožanc Award for the best essay in Slovene language was named after him.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He is mostly known for his essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s, and is considered one of the foremost essayists in the Slovene language, along with Ivan Cankar
Ivan Cankar
Ivan Cankar was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, poet and political activist. Together with Oton Župančič, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn, he is considered as the beginner of modernism in Slovene literature...
, Jože Javoršek
Jože Javoršek
Jože Javoršek was the pen name of Jože Brejc , a Slovenian playwright, writer, poet, translator and essayist. He is regarded as one of the greatest masters of style and language among Slovene authors...
and Drago Jančar
Drago Jancar
Drago Jančar is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the most known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also famous for his political commentaries and civic engagement.-Life:...
, and as a great master of style.
He was born in a working-class suborb of Polje
Polje, Ljubljana
The Polje District or simply Polje is a city district of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia....
in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, Slovenia (then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
). He attended high school during World War Two, when the Province of Ljubljana
Province of Ljubljana
The Province of Ljubljana was a province of the Kingdom of Italy and of the Nazi German Adriatic Littoral during World War II. It was created on May 3, 1941 from territory occupied and annexed to Italy after the Axis invasion and dissolution of Yugoslavia, and it was abolished on May 9, 1945, when...
was occupied by Italian troops. After the war, he shortly worked as a manual worker. In 1950, he was drafted in the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
, serving in Požarevac
Požarevac
Požarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. Because of his non-comformist attitudes, he was accused of "hostile propaganda" against the Communist regime, and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He was released in 1955, and returned to Slovenia.
He settled in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
, where he started a career as a journalist. In the early 1950s, he moved back to Ljubljana, where he took up a career as a freelance writer and columnist. He became involved in a circle of young intellectuals known as the Critical generation. He also became a close friend of the Christian Socialist poet Edvard Kocbek
Edvard Kocbek
Edvard Kocbek was a Slovenian poet, writer, essayist, translator, political activist, and resistance fighter. He is considered as one of the best authors who have written in Slovene, and one of the best Slovene poets after Prešeren...
and the existentialist playwright Dominik Smole
Dominik Smole
Dominik Smole was a Slovenian writer and playwright.-Biography:Smole was born in Ljubljana in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia...
. In third period, he grew closer to Christian ideals, especially through the influence of Christian existentialist thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
and Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright and philosopher.-Biography:...
.
He became a co-editor of the alternative independent literary journal Perspektive and later also the director of the experimental theatre called Stage 57 (Oder 57). In 1964, the theatre tried to stage one of Rožanc's critical plays, entitled Greenhouse, but the Communist regime violently interrupted the staging. Rožanc established connection with Slovene Roman Catholic intellectuals from Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), critical towards the Yugoslav Communist system, and published several articles in the journal Most, edited by Boris Pahor
Boris Pahor
Boris Pahor is a Slovene writer from Italy. He is considered to be one of the most influential living authors in the Slovene language and has been nominated for the Nobel prize for literature by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts...
and Alojz Rebula
Alojz Rebula
Alojz Rebula is a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist and translator, who lives and works in the Province of Trieste, Italy. He is a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.-Life:...
. He was again sentenced for two years and a half, but released on parole. In the 1970s, he worked as a sport manager in Ljubljana. In 1979, he published his most famous novel, "Love" (Ljubezen), an autobiographical account of the everyday life of a growing child in Ljubljana during World War Two. In the same year, he settled in the Kras
Kras
Karst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
region in the Slovenian Littoral
Slovenian Littoral
The Slovenian Littoral is a historical region of Slovenia. Its name recalls the historical Habsburg crown land of the Austrian Littoral, of which the Slovenian Littoral was a part....
, and continued to publish essays and short stories in various Slovenian journals. In 1987, he was among the authors of the Contributions to the Slovenian National Program
Contributions to the Slovenian National Program
Contributions to the Slovenian National Program , also known as Nova revija 57 or 57th edition of Nova revija was a special issue of the Slovenian opposition intellectual journal Nova revija, published in January 1987...
.
In 1990, he actively supported the candidature of Jože Pučnik
Jože Pucnik
Jože Pučnik was a Slovenian public intellectual, sociologist and politician. During the Communist regime of Josip Broz Tito, Pučnik was one of the most outspoken Slovenian critics of dictatorship and lack of civil liberties in former Yugoslavia. He was imprisoned for a total of 7 years, and later...
as President of Slovenia
President of Slovenia
The function of President of the Republic of Slovenia was established on 23 December 1991, when the National Assembly of Slovenia passed a new constitution as a result of independence from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, but never joined any political party or organization.
He died in Ljubljana.
In 1993, the Rožanc Award for the best essay in Slovene language was named after him.