Davor Slamnig
Encyclopedia
Davor Slamnig is a Croatia
n writer
and musician
, where he finished his primary education
as well as graduated from grammar school
. He allegedly never finished his musical education as well as his studies at the Faculty of Philosophy
of the University of Zagreb
. He attended further education in the USA, in Bloomington, Indiana
and in Chicago
.
in youth periodicals, mainly in "Polet". Those stories were re-published in the collection "Čudovište" (Monster) in 1980.
The next three years he continued publishing short stories, gathered into a second collection, "Qwertzu i Opš" in 1983. After that book came out, a long period of literary silence ensued.
Slamnig resuscitated as an author in 2002, when he published the novel "Topli zrak" (Hot Air). That was the first printed "long-playing" effort by the Zagreb author that sparked a great interest among the public, and which was awarded Jutarnji list
’s First Prize. The novel entered the finals of the Bosnian
prize Meša Selimović.
Slamnig returned to the short story format (or, at least, to collecting them into a book) in 2005 with the title "Krumpirova rodbina" (Potato’s Kin). The collection contained works published from 1986 until 2005. He was presented with awards for two of the short stories from that book, "Teletabisi" (Teletubbies) and "Kak smo postali Dalmatinci" (How We All Became Dalmatians), with the Second Prize of Večernji list
in 2004, and with the Prize Ranko Marinković
and the Prize of Večernji list
in 2006 respectively.
In 2011 Slamnig published a short story Meaning (Smisao) in the May
/June
2010 International Science Fiction issue of the World Literature Today
(WLT) magazine.
His first published song was "Debil Blues", written together with Goran “Pipo” Pavelić, the first playable and singable comic, drawn by the then informal leader of the Zagreb comic group Novi Kvadrat, Mirko Ilić
.
In 1979 Slamnig joined the Slovenia
n cult band Buldožer
as a guitarist. As member of the band he played and sang on their 1980 album Izlog jeftinih slatkiša. It was an important album for the group, that was left without one of the key members and authors, Marko Brecelj who left not long ago. Apart from playing the guitar, Slamnig co-authored the songs "Karlo", "Slovinjak punk" and "Žene i muškarci", the latter being called a, hit
-single
by band-members: Slamnig also delivered Brecelj’s poem "Okrutni bogovi istoka". Slamnig did not remain a member of Buldožer for a long time, which comes not as a surprise regarding the fact that he lived in Zagreb, and the rest of the band in Slovenia.
Slamnig gathered his own band with Žarko Mandić on bass
and Radovan Lučić on drums, while the vocal duties were delegated to the then leading Zagreb actress Mira Furlan
. The album Mira Furlan i Orkestar Davora Slamniga was recorded in Ljubljana
at the end of 1982, and it was published by in Maribor
by Helidon, where Boris Bele, the leader of Buldožer acted as Editor in Chief
. The then unknown Srđan Dedić playing the piano
and synthesizer
as guest musician. Almost all the lyrics and music were written by Slamnig. Only the lyrics for "Dječačići" were coauthored by Furlan, and the music for "Samo da te malo" by Mandić. The album became one of the lost masterpieces of Zagreb music from the so-called New Wave
era.
Slamnig played in the band Dee Dee Mellow for a while, while the group was dissolving slowly after publishing a single audio-cassette.
Slamnig wrote the score for the popular TV-show "Blentoni", and his song "Frida" was recorded by Psihomodo Pop.
Today Slamnig is a member of the band Psi od Slame (Straw Dogs) with another veteran “gray eminence” of the New Wave era, the musician and theatre-person Pjer Žardin. Up to this day the band has released no official recordings apart from those available at their Internet site.
as well as answering machine messages. He also did some programming. His Another MasterMind for Windows is one of the more witted version of the game adapted for computers.
Participated on:
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 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....
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Biography
Slamnig was born on 13 March 1956 in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, where he finished his primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
as well as graduated from grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. He allegedly never finished his musical education as well as his studies at the 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:...
of the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
. He attended further education in the USA, in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
and in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Writing career
Slamnig’s writing attempts became more serious in 1977, when he started publishing his short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
in youth periodicals, mainly in "Polet". Those stories were re-published in the collection "Čudovište" (Monster) in 1980.
The next three years he continued publishing short stories, gathered into a second collection, "Qwertzu i Opš" in 1983. After that book came out, a long period of literary silence ensued.
Slamnig resuscitated as an author in 2002, when he published the novel "Topli zrak" (Hot Air). That was the first printed "long-playing" effort by the Zagreb author that sparked a great interest among the public, and which was awarded Jutarnji list
Jutarnji list
Jutarnji list is a daily newspaper in Croatia with a circulation of about 115,000 copies.It was launched in April 1998, becoming the first successful Croatian daily newspaper to appear since the 1950s. It was named after a Zagreb daily that used to circulate before WW2...
’s First Prize. The novel entered the finals of the Bosnian
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
prize Meša Selimović.
Slamnig returned to the short story format (or, at least, to collecting them into a book) in 2005 with the title "Krumpirova rodbina" (Potato’s Kin). The collection contained works published from 1986 until 2005. He was presented with awards for two of the short stories from that book, "Teletabisi" (Teletubbies) and "Kak smo postali Dalmatinci" (How We All Became Dalmatians), with the Second Prize of Večernji list
Vecernji list
Večernji list is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Zagreb.The newspaper was started in the 1950s and it is today one of two largest daily newspapers in Croatia...
in 2004, and with the Prize Ranko Marinković
Ranko Marinkovic
Ranko Marinković was a Croatian author born in Komiža on the island of Vis ....
and the Prize of Večernji list
Vecernji list
Večernji list is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Zagreb.The newspaper was started in the 1950s and it is today one of two largest daily newspapers in Croatia...
in 2006 respectively.
In 2011 Slamnig published a short story Meaning (Smisao) in the May
May
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere...
/June
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
2010 International Science Fiction issue of the World Literature Today
World Literature Today
World Literature Today is an American magazine, published bimonthly at the University of Oklahoma. It was founded in 1927 by Roy Temple House as Books Abroad. In January 1977, the journal became World Literature Today...
(WLT) magazine.
Musical career
At the same time Slamnig pursued a musical career as well.His first published song was "Debil Blues", written together with Goran “Pipo” Pavelić, the first playable and singable comic, drawn by the then informal leader of the Zagreb comic group Novi Kvadrat, Mirko Ilić
Mirko Ilic
Mirko Ilić is Croatian and Bosnian graphic designer and comics artist based in New York.-Yugoslavian period:...
.
In 1979 Slamnig joined the 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 cult band Buldožer
Buldožer
Buldožer was Yugoslav-Slovenian progressive rock band from 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist Yugoslavia that could be considered alternative, and forefathers of the Yugoslav New Wave...
as a guitarist. As member of the band he played and sang on their 1980 album Izlog jeftinih slatkiša. It was an important album for the group, that was left without one of the key members and authors, Marko Brecelj who left not long ago. Apart from playing the guitar, Slamnig co-authored the songs "Karlo", "Slovinjak punk" and "Žene i muškarci", the latter being called a, hit
Hit
Hit may mean to strike someone or something to cause physical harm.Hit or HIT may also refer to:-Business:* Hitachi, Ltd. * Hongkong International Terminals Ltd....
-single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by band-members: Slamnig also delivered Brecelj’s poem "Okrutni bogovi istoka". Slamnig did not remain a member of Buldožer for a long time, which comes not as a surprise regarding the fact that he lived in Zagreb, and the rest of the band in Slovenia.
Slamnig gathered his own band with Žarko Mandić on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Radovan Lučić on drums, while the vocal duties were delegated to the then leading Zagreb actress Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan
Mira Furlan is a Croatian actress and singer currently residing in the United States. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn on all five seasons of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 , and Danielle Rousseau on Lost.-Early life:Furlan was born to an...
. The album Mira Furlan i Orkestar Davora Slamniga was recorded 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...
at the end of 1982, and it was published by 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....
by Helidon, where Boris Bele, the leader of Buldožer acted as Editor in Chief
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
. The then unknown Srđan Dedić playing the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
as guest musician. Almost all the lyrics and music were written by Slamnig. Only the lyrics for "Dječačići" were coauthored by Furlan, and the music for "Samo da te malo" by Mandić. The album became one of the lost masterpieces of Zagreb music from the so-called New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
era.
Slamnig played in the band Dee Dee Mellow for a while, while the group was dissolving slowly after publishing a single audio-cassette.
Slamnig wrote the score for the popular TV-show "Blentoni", and his song "Frida" was recorded by Psihomodo Pop.
Today Slamnig is a member of the band Psi od Slame (Straw Dogs) with another veteran “gray eminence” of the New Wave era, the musician and theatre-person Pjer Žardin. Up to this day the band has released no official recordings apart from those available at their Internet site.
Other activities
Slamnig created and recorded some jingles for the Zagreb Radio 101Radio 101
Radio 101 may refer to:* Radio 101 * Radio 101 * Radio 101 * Radio 101 , owned by the Arnoldo Mondadori Editore group* Radio 101...
as well as answering machine messages. He also did some programming. His Another MasterMind for Windows is one of the more witted version of the game adapted for computers.
Recordings
- Mira Furlan i Orkestar Davora Slamniga (1982)
Participated on:
- Buldožer: Izlog jeftinih slatkiša (1980)
Books
- "Čudovište" (1980), short story collection
- "Qwertzu i Opš" (1983), short story collection
- "Topli zrak" (2002), novel
- "Krumpirova rodbina" (2005), short story collection
Awards
- First Prize of Jutarnji listJutarnji listJutarnji list is a daily newspaper in Croatia with a circulation of about 115,000 copies.It was launched in April 1998, becoming the first successful Croatian daily newspaper to appear since the 1950s. It was named after a Zagreb daily that used to circulate before WW2...
, 2002, for the novel "Topli zrak" - Second Prize of Večernji listVecernji listVečernji list is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Zagreb.The newspaper was started in the 1950s and it is today one of two largest daily newspapers in Croatia...
, 2004, for the short story "Teletabisi" - Prize Ranko MarinkovićRanko MarinkovicRanko Marinković was a Croatian author born in Komiža on the island of Vis ....
, Prize of Večernji listVecernji listVečernji list is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Zagreb.The newspaper was started in the 1950s and it is today one of two largest daily newspapers in Croatia...
, 2006, for the short story "Kak smo postali Dalmatinci"