Viktor Blažič
Encyclopedia
Viktor Blažič is a Slovenia
n journalist
, essayist, translator and former anti-Communist dissident
.
He was born in the village of Smolenja vas
near Novo Mesto
in south-eastern Slovenia, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1944, he joined the partisan resistance. After World War II
, he became a journalist. In the early 1960s, he was member of the editorial board of the alternative journal Perspektive. In the early 1970s, he was one of the founders of the environmentalist movement in Slovenia.
who was too famous abroad to be arrested by the regime. Instead two of his friends and collaborators were arrested in order to "bring Kocbek back to order", that is to intimidate him in order to ensure his conformity with the Communist regime.
Blažič was released in 1978, and found a job in the National and University Library of Slovenia
, where he befriended the intellectual and historian Lojze Ude
. Since the 1980s, Blažič has published several essays dealing with the nature of the Communist regimes and of totalitarian regimes in general. He has also worked as a translator, mainly from Russian
.
), but has not been involved in active politics. By the mid 1990s, he distanced himself from the Christian Democrats and assumed a position close to the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia, although he never became member of the party, nor publicly endorsed its candidates. In 2004, he was among the co-founders of the liberal conservative civic platform Rally for the Republic .
He lives in Ljubljana
.
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 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...
, essayist, translator and former anti-Communist dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
.
He was born in the village of Smolenja vas
Smolenja vas
Smolenja vas is a village in the hills to the northeast of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and is now included in the Jugovzhodna Slovenija statistical region....
near Novo Mesto
Novo Mesto
Novo Mesto is a city and municipality in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered the economic and cultural centre of the historic Lower Carniola region.-Geography:...
in south-eastern Slovenia, then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1944, he joined the partisan resistance. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he became a journalist. In the early 1960s, he was member of the editorial board of the alternative journal Perspektive. In the early 1970s, he was one of the founders of the environmentalist movement in Slovenia.
Arrest
Due to his critical articles on behalf of the Titoist regime, Blažič was arrested in May 1976 together with the judge Franc Miklavčič, and sentenced to three years in prison for "enemy propaganda". Later it was disclosed that Blažič's and Miklavčič's arrest was meant as a retaliation against the poet and thinker Edvard KocbekEdvard 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...
who was too famous abroad to be arrested by the regime. Instead two of his friends and collaborators were arrested in order to "bring Kocbek back to order", that is to intimidate him in order to ensure his conformity with the Communist regime.
Blažič was released in 1978, and found a job in the National and University Library of Slovenia
National and University Library of Slovenia
The National and University Library is one of the most important national educational and cultural institutions of Slovenia. It was established in 1774 by a decree released by the Empress Maria Theresa. It is located in the centre of Ljubljana, in a building designed by the architect Jože Plečnik...
, where he befriended the intellectual and historian Lojze Ude
Lojze Ude
Lojze Ude was Slovenian lawyer, journalist and historian.- Honours :* Golden Obilić Medal * Order of Merit with silvery rays...
. Since the 1980s, Blažič has published several essays dealing with the nature of the Communist regimes and of totalitarian regimes in general. He has also worked as a translator, mainly from Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
Slovene Christian Social Movement
In 1989, Blažič was one of the co-founders of the Slovene Christian Social Movement (later renamed to Slovene Christian DemocratsSlovene Christian Democrats
The Slovene Christian Democrats was a Christian Democrat political party in Slovenia between 1989 and 2000.It was founded as the Slovene Christian Social Movement in March of 1989. Its first president was Peter Kovačič Peršin...
), but has not been involved in active politics. By the mid 1990s, he distanced himself from the Christian Democrats and assumed a position close to the Social Democratic Party of Slovenia, although he never became member of the party, nor publicly endorsed its candidates. In 2004, he was among the co-founders of the liberal conservative civic platform Rally for the Republic .
He lives 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...
.