Vitomil Zupan
Encyclopedia
Vitomil Zupan who also wrote under the pseudonym
Langus, was a Slovenia
n writer
, poet
, playwright
, essayist and screenwriter
. He is considered one of the most important authors in the Slovene language of the second half of the 20th century.
, then part of Austro-Hungary. After finishing grammar school, he entered the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ljubljana
. Due to his restless spirit he was able to finish his studies only in 1958. Already before the outbreak of World War II
, he travelled all across the Mediterranean, the Near East
and Northern Africa earning his money as a sailor, a ship's stoker, a house painter in France
, a skiing instructor, a professional boxer and other. After his return to Slovenia
in the late 1930s, he became active in the Sokol
athletic movement, which also had a strong political nature. Zupan belonged to the leftist democratic wing of the movement. After the Axis
invasion of Yugoslavia
in April 1941, Zupan joined the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
. He participated in several underground activities in the Italian-occupied Ljubljana. In 1942, the Italian Fascist
authorities arrested him and sent him to the concentration camp Čiginj near Tolmin
and later to the Gonars concentration camp
. In 1943, he escaped and joined the partisan resistance. At first, he actively participated in the fighting units. There, he met with the later philosopher and literary theorist Dušan Pirjevec Ahac, with whom he established a strong friendship. Later he was transferred to the cultural section of the resistance, where he wrote propaganda
plays and collaborated with the essayist and playwright Jože Javoršek
, poet Matej Bor
and novelist Igor Torkar
.
After the war, Zupan worked as the chief editor of the cultural programme of Radio Ljubljana
till 1947, when he fully dedicated himself to writing. That year he also received his first Prešeren Award
, the highest prize for artistic and cultural achievements in Slovenia, for his novel Rojstvo v nevihti ("Birth in a Storm"). In 1948, he and his former co-worker at Radio Ljubljana were arrested by the Communist state authorities. His former collaborator in the partisan cultural section Jože Javoršek was arrested too. Zupan was trialed on several serious charges, including spying, antipatriotic activity, anti-government conspiracy, immoral acts, murder and attempted rape. In a show trial
, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was released in 1955, but he could only publish his works under a pseudonym
Langus.
Beginning from the early 1960s, Zupan was again able to publish his works, some of which gained wide recognition. In 1980, his novel Menuet za kitaro (A Minuet for Guitar) was used by the Serbia
n director Živojin Pavlović
as the basis for his film See You in the Next War
. In 1984, he was bestowed with the second Prešeren Award
for his lifetime work.
Zupan died in Ljubljana in 1987 and is buried in the Žale
cemetery.
Zupan's novels are written from an individualist perspective and are full of detailed depictions of sexuality, the banality of everyday life, and the ruthless environments in repressive institutions, such as the army
and the prison. He has occasionally been accused of pornography
and excessively exhaustive descriptions of violence
. On the other side, his writings are always very reflective and filled with philosophical and cultural references.
He also wrote poetry, most of which remained unpublished during his lifetime. A collection of Zupan's poetry from his prison years was first published in 2006 and revived the interest for Zupan's literary legacy.
and freethinking attitude was not very well received by the critics close to the Communist regime. His work was strongly criticised by Josip Vidmar
, one of the most influential critics of the time, while Boris Ziherl, the official cultural ideologue of the Communist Party of Slovenia, accused Zupan's writings of being an example of decadence
, cynicism
, glorification of evil, amorality
and nihilism
.
Zupan's work had an important influence on the Generation of '57, a group of alternative Slovene authors who challenged the rigid cultural policies of the Communist regime. He particularly influenced the poet Borut Kardelj. His writings had also an important influence on literary theorists and thinkers Dušan Pirjevec Ahac and Taras Kermauner
. The echos of Zupan's vitalism and anticonformism can be seen in the works of the writer and essayist Marjan Rožanc
, who reflected on Zupan in his novelistic essay Roman o knjigah ("A Novel on Books", 1983).
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Langus, was a Slovenia
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 writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, 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...
, essayist and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He is considered one of the most important authors in the Slovene language of the second half of the 20th century.
Biography
Vitomil Zupan was born in LjubljanaLjubljana
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...
, then part of Austro-Hungary. After finishing grammar school, he entered the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
. Due to his restless spirit he was able to finish his studies only in 1958. Already before the outbreak of 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 travelled all across the Mediterranean, the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
and Northern Africa earning his money as a sailor, a ship's stoker, a house painter in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, a skiing instructor, a professional boxer and other. After his return to Slovenia
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...
in the late 1930s, he became active in the Sokol
Sokol
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
athletic movement, which also had a strong political nature. Zupan belonged to the leftist democratic wing of the movement. After the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
in April 1941, Zupan joined the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
On 26 April 1941 in Ljubljana the Anti-Imperialist Front was established. It was to promote "an international massive movement" to "liberate the Slovenian nation" whose "hope and example was the Soviet Union"...
. He participated in several underground activities in the Italian-occupied Ljubljana. In 1942, the Italian Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
authorities arrested him and sent him to the concentration camp Čiginj near Tolmin
Tolmin
Tolmin is a small town and municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.-Geography:Tolmin, the old town that gave the name to the entire area , is the largest settlement in the Upper Soča Valley , as well as its economic, cultural and administrative centre. It is located on a terrace above the...
and later to the Gonars concentration camp
Gonars concentration camp
On February 23, 1942 the Italian fascist regime established a concentration camp in Gonars, a town with approx. 4,600 inhabitants near Palmanova in the Province of Udine in northeastern Italy.Most of the prisoners were from present day Slovenia and Croatia...
. In 1943, he escaped and joined the partisan resistance. At first, he actively participated in the fighting units. There, he met with the later philosopher and literary theorist Dušan Pirjevec Ahac, with whom he established a strong friendship. Later he was transferred to the cultural section of the resistance, where he wrote propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
plays and collaborated with the essayist and playwright 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...
, poet Matej Bor
Matej Bor
Matej Bor was the pen name of Vladimir Pavšič , who was a Slovene poet, translator, playwright, journalist and partisan.-Biography:...
and novelist Igor Torkar
Igor Torkar
Igor Torkar was the pen name of Boris Fakin was a Slovenian writer, playwright and poet, most famous for his literary descriptions of Communist repression in Yugoslavia after World War II.- Life :...
.
After the war, Zupan worked as the chief editor of the cultural programme of Radio Ljubljana
Radiotelevizija Slovenija
Radiotelevizija Slovenija – usually abbreviated to RTV Slovenija – is Slovenia's national public broadcasting organization. Based in the country's capital, Ljubljana, it has regional broadcasting centres in Koper and Maribor and correspondents around Slovenia, Europe and the world...
till 1947, when he fully dedicated himself to writing. That year he also received his first Prešeren Award
Prešeren Award
Prešeren Award is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia awarded each year to one or two eminent Slovene artists...
, the highest prize for artistic and cultural achievements in Slovenia, for his novel Rojstvo v nevihti ("Birth in a Storm"). In 1948, he and his former co-worker at Radio Ljubljana were arrested by the Communist state authorities. His former collaborator in the partisan cultural section Jože Javoršek was arrested too. Zupan was trialed on several serious charges, including spying, antipatriotic activity, anti-government conspiracy, immoral acts, murder and attempted rape. In a show trial
Show trial
The term show trial is a pejorative description of a type of highly public trial in which there is a strong connotation that the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal to present the accusation and the verdict to the public as...
, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He was released in 1955, but he could only publish his works under a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Langus.
Beginning from the early 1960s, Zupan was again able to publish his works, some of which gained wide recognition. In 1980, his novel Menuet za kitaro (A Minuet for Guitar) was used by the 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...
n director Živojin Pavlović
Živojin Pavlovic
Živojin "Žika" Pavlović was a Serbian film director and writer. In his films and novels, he depicted the cruel reality of small, poor and abandoned people living in the corners of society; he was one of leaders of Serbian the "Black wave" in film in 1960s, a movement which portrayed the darker...
as the basis for his film See You in the Next War
See You in the Next War
See You in the Next War is a 1980 Yugoslav war film directed by Živojin Pavlović. It competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival....
. In 1984, he was bestowed with the second Prešeren Award
Prešeren Award
Prešeren Award is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia awarded each year to one or two eminent Slovene artists...
for his lifetime work.
Zupan died in Ljubljana in 1987 and is buried in the Žale
Žale
Žale Central cemetery , often abbreviated to Žale, is the largest and the central cemetery in Ljubljana. It is located in the Bežigrad district and operated by the Žale Public Company.- History :...
cemetery.
Work
Vitomil Zupan is best known for his semi-autobiographic novels. In his probably best work Menuet za kitaro ("A Minuet for Guitar"; 1975), he gave a highly individualized account of the Slovenian National Liberation War. The Minuet, the Levitan (1982), in which he described his experiences in prison, and Komedija človeškega tkiva ("A Comedy of Human Tissue"), which describes the period before and during World War II, form an original autobiographical trilogy centered on the quest of an individual for his identity in the modern world. In his probably most popular novel, Igra s hudičevim repom ("A Game with the Devil's Tail"; 1978), Zupan wrote about a middle-aged man who gets involved in a sexual affair with his housekeeper.Zupan's novels are written from an individualist perspective and are full of detailed depictions of sexuality, the banality of everyday life, and the ruthless environments in repressive institutions, such as the 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...
and the prison. He has occasionally been accused of pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
and excessively exhaustive descriptions of violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
. On the other side, his writings are always very reflective and filled with philosophical and cultural references.
He also wrote poetry, most of which remained unpublished during his lifetime. A collection of Zupan's poetry from his prison years was first published in 2006 and revived the interest for Zupan's literary legacy.
Influence and legacy
In the 1940s and 1950s, Zupan's highly individualistic style and his bohemianBohemian style
In modern usage, the term "Bohemian" is applied to people who live unconventional, usually artistic, lives. The adherents of the "Bloomsbury Group", which formed around the Stephen sisters, Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf in the early 20th century, are among the best-known examples...
and freethinking attitude was not very well received by the critics close to the Communist regime. His work was strongly criticised by Josip Vidmar
Josip Vidmar
Josip Vidmar was a prominent Slovenian literary critic and essayist. Vidmar is remembered because of his role in the Slovenian resistance during World War II, and for his influence in the cultural policies of the Titoist regime in Slovenia from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s.He was born in...
, one of the most influential critics of the time, while Boris Ziherl, the official cultural ideologue of the Communist Party of Slovenia, accused Zupan's writings of being an example of decadence
Decadence
Decadence can refer to a personal trait, or to the state of a society . Used to describe a person's lifestyle. Concise Oxford Dictionary: "a luxurious self-indulgence"...
, cynicism
Cynicism
Cynicism , in its original form, refers to the beliefs of an ancient school of Greek philosophers known as the Cynics . Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and...
, glorification of evil, amorality
Amorality
Amorality is an absence of, indifference towards, or disregard for moral beliefs. Any entity that is not sentient may be considered amoral. In addition, it can be argued that sentient but non-human creatures, like dogs, have no concept of morality and are therefore amoral...
and nihilism
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
.
Zupan's work had an important influence on the Generation of '57, a group of alternative Slovene authors who challenged the rigid cultural policies of the Communist regime. He particularly influenced the poet Borut Kardelj. His writings had also an important influence on literary theorists and thinkers Dušan Pirjevec Ahac and Taras Kermauner
Taras Kermauner
Taras Kermauner was a Slovenian literary historian, critic, philosopher, essayist, playwright and translator.- Life :...
. The echos of Zupan's vitalism and anticonformism can be seen in the works of the writer and essayist Marjan Rožanc
Marjan Rožanc
Marjan Rožanc was a Slovenian author, playwright and journalist. He is mostly known for his essays, 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...
, who reflected on Zupan in his novelistic essay Roman o knjigah ("A Novel on Books", 1983).
Sources
- Vesna Milek, "Pesmi zoper smrt : portret Vitomila Zupana" in DeloDeloDelo is the largest national daily newspaper in Slovenia. It was established on May 1st, 1959, when two newspapers Ljudska pravica and Slovenski poročevalec merged. Nowadays, it is the most influential and credible daily newspaper in Slovenia...
, yr. 48, n. 114 (May 20, 2006), 26-28. - Bernard Nežmah, "Vitomil Zupan, Levitan: ponatis legendarnega dela iz leta 1982" in MladinaMladinaMladina is a Slovenian weekly left-wing current affairs magazine. It was first published in the 1920s as the youth magazine of the Slovenian Communist Party...
(May 13, 2002), 81. - Alenka PuharAlenka PuharAlenka Puhar is a Slovenian journalist, author, translator, and historian. She is known for her columns in the Slovenian journal Delo, for her writings on the dissident movements in Socialist Slovenia and Yugoslavia, as well as for her book "The Primary Text of Life" , a combination of...
, "Pesmi starega restanta: Zupanovo zbrano zaporniško delo" in Delo., yr. 48, n. 111 (May 17, 2006), 15. - Marjan RožancMarjan RožancMarjan Rožanc was a Slovenian author, playwright and journalist. He is mostly known for his essays, 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...
, Roman o knjigah (Ljubljana: Slovenska maticaSlovenska maticaSlovenska matica , also known as Matica slovenska, is the second-oldest publishing house in Slovenia, founded in the 19th century as an institution for the scholarly and cultural progress of Slovenes...
, 1983).
Further reading
- Andrej Inkret, "Zupan, Vitomil", article in Enciklopedija Slovenije, vol. 15 (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2001), 235-236.
- Janko KosJanko KosJanko Kos is a Slovenian literary historian, theoretician and critic.He was born in Ljubljana in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as the son of the painter and sculptor Tine Kos...
et al., Interpretacije: Vitomil Zupan (Ljubljana: Nova revijaNova revijaNova revija is a Slovenian publishing house and cultural institute that developed from the literary journal with the same name.- The magazine :...
, 1993) - Vlado ŽabotVlado ŽabotVlado Žabot is a Slovene writer and journalist. He was president of the Slovene Writers' Association for two terms between 2003 and 2007.Žabot was born in Šafarsko in eastern Slovenia in 1958...
, Estetski vidiki v Zupanovem Levitanu (Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani, 1986).