Dominik Smole
Encyclopedia
Dominik Smole was a Slovenia
n writer
and playwright
.
in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
. He attended school in Ljubljana and after the end of World War II
he was employed as a broadcaster at Radio Primorska ("Radio Slovenian Litoral), which was set up in Ajdovščina
by the Yugoslav
occupation authorities of the Julian March
. He later returned to Ljubljana and worked as stage director at the Slovene Youth Theatre and later at the prestigious Drama Theatre. There he met Jože Javoršek
, Žarko Petan
and Bojan Štih
who influenced him in searching for new modes of expression in theatre.
In the mid 1950s we worked at Stage '57, an alternative theatre set up by young Slovenian artists and authors, which introduced more modern approaches to Slovene theatre. Smole belonged to the so-called Critical generation, a group of talented young intellectuals, mostly from Ljubljana, who tried to challenge the rigid and repressive cultural policies of the Titoist regime in Slovenia
. After the demise of the group, which came with the imprisonment of Jože Pučnik
and the suppression of the Stage '57 and the group's two literary magazines, Revija 57 and Perspektive, Smole retreated into private life. For some years he worked as a manual worker, in protest against the regime repression of free speech, but later dedicated to writing. During this time he maintained strong contacts with the dissident poet and thinker Edvard Kocbek
, who strongly encouraged him to pursue his literary career.
Smole spent most of his life in Ljubljana, working as a free-lance writer most of his life. He died in Ljubljana in 1992 and is buried in the Žale
cemetery.
The central part of Smole's opus was published in the literary journal Beseda between 1951 and 1957, mostly as short stories with an urban theme, psychological and moral portraits of people and relationships, moral uncertainties and confusions of contemporary man. The stories include Mala novoletna zgodba ("A Short New Year Story"), Pismo iz mesteca v mesto ("A Letter from a Small Town to a Big Town"), Roman Gize Tikveš ("Giza Tikveš's Novel"), Večerni letoviščarski sprehod brez dogodka ("An Uneventful Holiday Evening Strol"). His main novel Črni dnevi in beli dan ("Black Days and a White Day") (1958) was also created as a cycle of short stories; as a whole represents one of the most interesting Slovene literary works of its time. The novel also served as the literary basis for the film Ples v dežju
("Dance in the Rain"), directed by Boštjan Hladnik
in 1961.
His main plays include Potovanje v Koromandijo ("Travels to Neverland"), Igre in igrice ("Plays and Games"), and Zlata čeveljčka ("Little Golden Shoes"). One of his most important plays is Krst pri Savici ("Baptism at the Savica Waterfall"), a paraphrase of France Prešeren
's magnum opus with the same title, in which he used the setting of the Christianisation of Slovenes in the 9th century to deliver a clear yet subtle metaphor of the political conditions in Slovenia after the Second World War. He employed the same scheme in his most important poetic play, Antigona ("Antigone
"), written in 1961. The play is conceived as a remake of Sophocles
' famous play, where everything revolves around an Antigone who never appears on the stage. Smole's Antigone thus uses the reference to one of the greatest myths of Ancient Greek literature
as a clear allusion to the contemporary Slovene political and social situation and its main concealed secret, the summary killings of 12,000 Slovenian Home Guard members in May and June 1945, perpetrated by the Communist authorities. The play has also been translated into English.
Smole was a sharp thinker who lucidly analyzed his surroundings. Already during his lifetime, he was acclaimed for his refined expression and frequently referred to as a master of style. His works echo the existentialist issues of contemporary modern literature. His literature can be read both as a critical account of totalitarian reality, as well as a global metaphor on the tragic essence of the human condition
.
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....
and 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...
.
Biography
Smole 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...
in what was then 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 school in Ljubljana and after the end 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 was employed as a broadcaster at Radio Primorska ("Radio Slovenian Litoral), which was set up in Ajdovščina
Ajdovšcina
Ajdovščina is a small town and a municipality with the same name and a population of 7000 , located in the Vipava Valley , Slovenia....
by the Yugoslav
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
occupation authorities of the Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
. He later returned to Ljubljana and worked as stage director at the Slovene Youth Theatre and later at the prestigious Drama Theatre. There he met 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...
, Žarko Petan
Žarko Petan
thumb|Žarko PetanŽarko Petan is a Slovenian writer, essayist, screenwriter, and theatre and film director. He is most famous as writer of aphorisms....
and Bojan Štih
Bojan Štih
Bojan Štih , was a Slovene literary critic, stage director, and essayist. He was one of the most influential figures in modern Slovene theatre after 1945....
who influenced him in searching for new modes of expression in theatre.
In the mid 1950s we worked at Stage '57, an alternative theatre set up by young Slovenian artists and authors, which introduced more modern approaches to Slovene theatre. Smole belonged to the so-called Critical generation, a group of talented young intellectuals, mostly from Ljubljana, who tried to challenge the rigid and repressive cultural policies of the Titoist regime in Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
. After the demise of the group, which came with the imprisonment 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...
and the suppression of the Stage '57 and the group's two literary magazines, Revija 57 and Perspektive, Smole retreated into private life. For some years he worked as a manual worker, in protest against the regime repression of free speech, but later dedicated to writing. During this time he maintained strong contacts with the dissident poet and thinker 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...
, who strongly encouraged him to pursue his literary career.
Smole spent most of his life in Ljubljana, working as a free-lance writer most of his life. He died in Ljubljana in 1992 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
Smole was not a prolific writer: he did not create a large oeuvre, but his works are nevertheless regarded as the peak of modern Slovene literature. He was a crucial collaborator of the literary and cultural magazines that struggled to open a space for public debate in Communist Slovenia in the 1960s.The central part of Smole's opus was published in the literary journal Beseda between 1951 and 1957, mostly as short stories with an urban theme, psychological and moral portraits of people and relationships, moral uncertainties and confusions of contemporary man. The stories include Mala novoletna zgodba ("A Short New Year Story"), Pismo iz mesteca v mesto ("A Letter from a Small Town to a Big Town"), Roman Gize Tikveš ("Giza Tikveš's Novel"), Večerni letoviščarski sprehod brez dogodka ("An Uneventful Holiday Evening Strol"). His main novel Črni dnevi in beli dan ("Black Days and a White Day") (1958) was also created as a cycle of short stories; as a whole represents one of the most interesting Slovene literary works of its time. The novel also served as the literary basis for the film Ples v dežju
Ples v dežju
Ples v dežju is a 1961 Slovene film directed by Boštjan Hladnik. Its international English title is Dance in the Rain. It is a love drama based on the novel Črni dnevi in beli dan by Dominik Smole....
("Dance in the Rain"), directed by Boštjan Hladnik
Boštjan Hladnik
Boštjan Hladnik was a Yugoslavian/Slovene filmmaker.Hladnik was born in Kranj. He started with amateur short films after acquiring a projector and a 8mm camera in 1947. From 1949 he studied at the Academy for Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana and made a name for himself with several...
in 1961.
His main plays include Potovanje v Koromandijo ("Travels to Neverland"), Igre in igrice ("Plays and Games"), and Zlata čeveljčka ("Little Golden Shoes"). One of his most important plays is Krst pri Savici ("Baptism at the Savica Waterfall"), a paraphrase of France Prešeren
France Prešeren
France Prešeren was a Slovene Romantic poet. He is considered the Slovene national poet. Although he was not a particularly prolific author, he inspired virtually all Slovene literature thereafter....
's magnum opus with the same title, in which he used the setting of the Christianisation of Slovenes in the 9th century to deliver a clear yet subtle metaphor of the political conditions in Slovenia after the Second World War. He employed the same scheme in his most important poetic play, Antigona ("Antigone
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Oedipus' mother. The name may be taken to mean "unbending", coming from "anti-" and "-gon / -gony" , but has also been suggested to mean "opposed to motherhood", "in place of a mother", or "anti-generative", based from the root...
"), written in 1961. The play is conceived as a remake of Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' famous play, where everything revolves around an Antigone who never appears on the stage. Smole's Antigone thus uses the reference to one of the greatest myths of Ancient Greek literature
Ancient Greek literature
Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in the Ancient Greek language until the 4th century.- Classical and Pre-Classical Antiquity :...
as a clear allusion to the contemporary Slovene political and social situation and its main concealed secret, the summary killings of 12,000 Slovenian Home Guard members in May and June 1945, perpetrated by the Communist authorities. The play has also been translated into English.
Smole was a sharp thinker who lucidly analyzed his surroundings. Already during his lifetime, he was acclaimed for his refined expression and frequently referred to as a master of style. His works echo the existentialist issues of contemporary modern literature. His literature can be read both as a critical account of totalitarian reality, as well as a global metaphor on the tragic essence of the human condition
Human condition
The human condition encompasses the experiences of being human in a social, cultural, and personal context. It can be described as the irreducible part of humanity that is inherent and not connected to gender, race, class, etc. — a search for purpose, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of...
.
Sources
- Helga Glušič, Sto Slovenskih Pripovednikov (Ljubljana: Prešernova družba, 1996) ISBN 961-6186-21-3
- Taras KermaunerTaras KermaunerTaras Kermauner was a Slovenian literary historian, critic, philosopher, essayist, playwright and translator.- Life :...
, Perspektivovci (Ljubljana: Znanestveno in publicistično središče, 1995). - Miran Štuhec, Aristokracija duha in jezika (Ljubljana: Študentska založba, 2005).