Viktor Žmegač
Encyclopedia
Viktor Žmegač is a renowned Croatia
n musicologist and scholar. He authored a number of books, articles and essays in the areas of cultural history
, literary theory
, musicology, art history
and German studies
.
Žmegač was born in Slatina
on 21 March 1929. After finishing elementary school in his home town he went on to attend gymnasium
s in Virovitica
and Osijek
. He then enrolled at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Philosophy
and earned a double major degree in Yugoslav and German studies
. He also studied musicology
and German studies in University of Göttingen. He earned a doctorate in 1959 and later spent almost 30 years as a tenured university professor teaching German literature
at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, from 1971 until his retirement 1999. He was made professor emeritus
in 2002.
Žmegač is a correspondent member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
(HAZU) and member of the Saxonian Academy of Sciences
and Academia Europaea
. He was also awarded a number of Croatian and international prizes for his works, including the Herder Prize
(1987), the Humboldt Prize
(1993) and the Vladimir Nazor Award
for Life Achievement (2003).
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n musicologist and scholar. He authored a number of books, articles and essays in the areas of cultural history
Cultural history
The term cultural history refers both to an academic discipline and to its subject matter.Cultural history, as a discipline, at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural...
, literary theory
Literary theory
Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of...
, musicology, art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and German studies
German studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the...
.
Žmegač was born in Slatina
Slatina, Croatia
Slatina is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is located in the Virovitica-Podravina county, at the contact of the Drava valley and the foothills of Papuk mountain, in the central part of the region of Podravina, southeast of Virovitica; elevation 127 m...
on 21 March 1929. After finishing elementary school in his home town he went on to attend gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
s in Virovitica
Virovitica
Virovitica is a Croatian town near the Croatian-Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,663, with 21,327 people in the municipality...
and Osijek
Osijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
. He then enrolled at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Philosophy
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb is one of the top faculties of the University of Zagreb.-History:...
and earned a double major degree in Yugoslav and German studies
German studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the...
. He also studied musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
and German studies in University of Göttingen. He earned a doctorate in 1959 and later spent almost 30 years as a tenured university professor teaching German literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, from 1971 until his retirement 1999. He was made professor emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
in 2002.
Žmegač is a correspondent member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the national academy of Croatia. It was founded in 1866 as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts , and was known by that name for most of its existence.- History :...
(HAZU) and member of the Saxonian Academy of Sciences
Saxonian Academy of Sciences
The Saxonian Academy of Sciences in Leipzig is an institute which was founded in 1846 under the name Royal Saxonian Society for the Sciences.-External links:*...
and Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea
Academia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
. He was also awarded a number of Croatian and international prizes for his works, including the Herder Prize
Herder Prize
The Herder Prize, established in 1963 and named for Johann Gottfried von Herder, was a prestigious international prize dedicated to the promotion of scientific, art and literature relations, and presented to scholars and artists from Central and Southeastern Europe whose life and work have improved...
(1987), the Humboldt Prize
Humboldt Prize
The Humboldt Prize, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to internationally renowned scientists and scholars, and is currently valued at € 60,000 with the possibility of further support during the prize winner's life. Up to one...
(1993) and the Vladimir Nazor Award
Vladimir Nazor award
The Vladimir Nazor Award is an annual award given by the Croatian Ministry of Culture to Croatian artists for highest achievements in various artistic fields. It was established in 1959 and is named after the notable writer Vladimir Nazor...
for Life Achievement (2003).
External links
- Viktor Žmegač biography at the Matica hrvatskaMatica hrvatskaMatica hrvatska is one of the oldest Croatian cultural institutions, dating back to 1842. The name is somewhat idiosyncratic, best translated as "The Croatian Centre" . It is the largest publisher of Croatian language books...
website