Veno Taufer
- Poet
- playwright
- essayist
Venčeslav "Veno" Taufer (19 February 1933 – 20 May 2023) was a Slovenian poet, essayist, translator and playwright. Under the Communist regime, he was a driving force behind alternative cultural and intellectual projects in Socialist Slovenia, which challenged the cultural policies of the Titoist system. During the Slovenian Spring (1988–1990), he actively participated in the efforts for the democratization and independence of Slovenia.[1]
Biography
Taufer was born Venčeslav Taufer in Ljubljana, Slovenia, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.[2] His father was a left liberal activist, and prominent member of the Sokol athletic movement. Due to his political activities, he was transferred by the Yugoslav conservative regime to the heavily industrialized Central Sava Valley in central Slovenia, where Veno spent his childhood. In 1943, during the German occupation of Yugoslavia in World War II, his father was killed by the Nazis as one of the leaders of the local partisan resistance.
In 1944, he moved to Ljubljana, where he attended high school. He enrolled at the University of Ljubljana, where he studied comparative literature and graduated in history and literary theory in 1960.[2] In the late 1950s, he became one of the initiators, together with Taras Kermauner, of a circle of young Slovene artists and intellectuals who challenged the rigid cultural policies of the Yugoslav Communist regime. In 1957, he became one of the co-editors of the literary journal Revija 57, the first autonomous journal in Slovenia prior to the Communist takeover in 1945. Due to its open criticism of the Communist regime, the journal was soon censored by the authorities and several of its collaborators, like Jože Pučnik and Taufer himself, were imprisoned.
In 1961, he briefly worked as an editor for the Slovenian Television service,[2] but soon resigned in the face of political pressures. Between 1962 and 1964, he worked as the director of the alternative theatre Oder 57, staging innovative and subversive plays by Slovenian and foreign modernist authors, among them Dominik Smole, Primož Kozak and Marjan Rožanc. In the mid 1960s, he also collaborated on the alternative journal Perspektive, although he never joined its editorial board.
After the prohibition of the journal Perspektive in 1964, Taufer withdrew from public life, dedicating most of his time to translating. In 1966, he moved to London, where he worked at the Yugoslav section of the BBC. He returned to Slovenia in 1970, and was employed once again by the Slovenian television service, where he worked as an editor in the cultural programme section.
In the early 1980s, he was one of the founders of the new alternative journal Nova revija. Throughout the 1980s, he was active in the process of gradual pluralization of public life in Slovenia. In 1987, he joined the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. He also participated in the so-called May Declaration of 1989, in which a group of Slovenian intellectuals and public activists openly demanded full democratization of the politics of the nation, the introduction of a market economy, and the separation of Slovenia from Yugoslavia. He was one of the co-founders of the Slovenian Democratic Union, one of the first anti-Communist political parties established in 1989.
Between 1990 and 1995, he worked as an advisor at the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia. In 1996, he received the Prešeren Award for life achievements.
In the 1990s, Taufer was supportive of various humanitarian activities during the Yugoslav Wars. During the war in Bosnia, he personally visited the besieged city of Sarajevo, together with Drago Jančar, Niko Grafenauer and Boris A. Novak, to take supplies collected by the Slovene Writers' Association to the civilian population.
In 2002 Taufer received the Jan Smrek Prize, the highest literature prize given to foreign writers in Slovakia. In 2011 he became president of the Slovene Writers' Association.
Taufer was the father of film director Lara Simona Taufer.
Veno Taufer died on 20 May 2023, at the age of 90.[3][4][5]
Work
Taufer began his public literary career in 1956 and 1957, when he published poems in the student journal Tribuna. During the period of 1958–72, he established himself as a poet. Other notable Slovenian poets of the time include, Gregor Strniša, Dane Zajc, Tomaž Šalamun, and Jože Snoj.
Taufer published a collection titled Lead Stars (Svinčene zvezde) in 1958. His second collection of poems, published in 1963, dealt mostly with love themes. His third collection, titled Exercises and Tasks (Vaje in naloge) and published in 1969, is considered[by whom?] to be Taufer's most daring poetic achievement. Taufer used extracts and collages in an accumulation of allusions to political reality, using parody in order to convey his message. In his later poetry in the 1970s, his literary experimentation went even further, marking the way to a complete transformation of poetic language, which would be then picked up by younger poets, especially by Tomaž Šalamun and Niko Grafenauer.[citation needed]
Taufer's poetry of the 1970s and 1980s has entered the canon of modern Slovenian literature. His Songbook of Used Words (Pesmarica rabljenih besed), published 1975, was conceived as a collection of contemporary variations on Slovene folk songs (especially ballads), and was declared by the philosopher and critic Tine Hribar as the first post-modern work in Slovenian literature.[citation needed] Taufer's next collection, The Management of Nails (Ravnanje žebljev), published 1979, was partly an exercise in linguistic experimentation.
The poems in the collection Water Marks (Vodenjaki), published 1986, record a story of chaos, and a decline of civilization, cultures, beliefs, ideas and values. The collection Crocks of Songs (Črepinje pesmi), published 1989, shows clear influences by Ezra Pound. The poems contained in this collection use fragments from ancient Greek myths, archaic images and visions of disasters, mobilized as an instrument of post-modern reality.
During the 1990s, his most important collection of poetry was Still Odes (Še ode), published 1996, which marks a return to classical poetic forms, mostly sonnets. The collection is opened by two poems containing a violent condemnation of the destruction of Vukovar and Sarajevo during the Yugoslav wars.
Taufer also wrote several plays. His best-known play is called Odysseus & Son or on the World and Home (1990), in which he renews the story of Odysseus and Telemachus, including whole passages from Homer's text, supplemented by fragments from diverse genres.
References
- ^ (14 July 2011). Stari sloni, do zadnjega diha na okopih, Dnevnik (Slovenia) (in Slovenian)
- ^ a b c Stanko Janež (1971). Živan Milisavac (ed.). Jugoslovenski književni leksikon [Yugoslav Literary Lexicon] (in Serbo-Croatian). Novi Sad (SAP Vojvodina, SR Serbia): Matica srpska. p. 535.
- ^ "Umrl je pesnik, dramatik in prevajalec Veno Taufer". Delo. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Umrl je Veno Taufer". SiolNET. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Umrl pesnik, dramatik in prevajalec Veno Taufer". 24ur.com. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- v
- t
- e
- 1962: Ljubo Humek
- Franci Čop
- Vladimir Makuc
- Mitja Mejak
- Matej Bor
- Duša Počkaj
- Primož Ramovš
- Marko Šuštaršič
- Dubravka Tomšič
- Janez Trenz
- France Šmid
- Ciril Pogačnik
- 1963: Janez Bernik
- Dejan Bravničar
- Vanda Gerlovič
- Sveta Jovanović
- Janez Kališnik
- Branko Kocmut
- Lojze Krakar
- Marjan Pogačnuik
- Ali Raner
- Pavle Zidar
- Rudi Zupan
- 1964: Boris Čampa
- Jože Falout
- Stane Jarm
- Nives Kalin - Vehovar
- Mile Korun
- Stanko Kristl
- Andrej Kurent
- Ivan Minatti
- Nace Simončič
- France Slana
- Gregor Strniša
- Milan Šega
- Team of the Development Department of the Decorative Fabric Factory in Ljubljana
- Karel Zelenko
- 1965: Jože Bevc
- Polde Bibič
- Miloš Bonča
- Bogdan Borčič
- Andrej Jemec
- Rok Klopčič
- Janez Lajovic
- Tone Pavček
- Štefan Planinc
- Smiljan Rozman
- Alojz Srebotnjak
- Pavel Šivic
- Mirko Zdovc
- Ciril Zlobec
- 1966: Tone Bitenc
- Janez Boljka
- Miha Gunzek
- Mija Jarc
- Ignac Koprivec
- Janez Lenassi
- Borut Loparnik
- Bogdan Meško
- Zlata Ognjanović
- Milena Ogorelec
- Božo Kos
- Žarko Petan
- Jože Pogačnik
- Davorin Savnik
- 1967: Sandi Krošl
- Lojze Lebič
- Floris Oblak
- Vasja Predan
- Tatjana Remškar
- Savin Sever
- Slavko Tihec
- Vilko Ukmar
- Aleksander Valič
- Rudi Vaupotič
- 1968: Milka Badjura
- Jože Ciuha
- Hilda Hölzl
- Marjan Kolar
- Gregor Košak
- Mirč Kragelj
- Branko Kraševec
- Jožko Lukeš
- Milan Mihelič
- Dušan Moravec
- Ive Šubic
- Danilo Švara
- Drago Tršar
- Iva Zupančič
- 1969: Ilija Arnautović, Aleksander Peršin in Janez Vovk
- Peter Černe
- Janez Gradišnik
- Miran Herzog
- Lojze Kovačič
- Nikolaj Omersa
- Alojz Rebula
- Mirko Romih in Branko Uršič
- Mako Sajko
- Vladimir Škerlak
- Arnold Tovornik
- Uroš Vagaja
- Fran Žižek
- 1970: Jakob Jež
- Albert Kastelic
- Maks Kavčič
- Tone Kuntner
- Marko Munih
- Anton Petje
- Anton Pibernik in Vladimir Sedej
- Bine Rogelj
- Tone Svetina
- Rudi Šeligo
- Zlatko Šugman
- Jože Tisnikar
- Marjan Vodopivec
- Dane Zajc
- 1971: Lojze Filipič
- Pavel Jeršin
- Lojze Lebič
- Oskar Kogoj, Stane Bernik, Jankom Sušnik in Boris Ferlat
- Mitja Mejak
- Borut Pečenko
- Ela Peroci
- France Peršin
- Ivo Petrič
- France Rotar
- Jože Zupan
- 1972: Zvest Apollonio
- Alenka Bartl-Prevoršek
- Aci Bertoncelj
- Peter Božič
- France Forstnerič
- Kajetan Gantar
- Peter Kerševan
- Franci Križaj
- Peter Levec
- Pavle Merku
- Radko Polič
- Staš Potočnik
- Emil Smasek
- Jože Snoj
- Marlenka Stupica
- 1973: Boris Cavazza
- Primož Kozak
- Metka Krašovec
- Vladimir Lakovič
- Saša Mächtig
- Danilo Merlak
- Dušan Povh
- Rosanda Sajko
- Tomaž Šalamun
- Dane Škerl
- 1974: Marjan Gnamuš
- Angela Janko-Jenčič
- Jože Koželj
- Avgust Lavrenčič
- Trio Lorenz
- Dušan Mlakar
- Dušan Moškon
- Bogdana Stritar
- Veno Taufer
- Žaro Tušar
- Jelica Žuža
- 1975: Delavska godba iz Trbovelj
- Bogomil Fatur
- Mile de Gleria
- Mina Jeraj
- Tomaž Kržišnik
- Florjan Lipuš
- Ciril Oblak in Fedja Klavora
- Stane Raztresen
- Ivan Seljak - Čopič
- Matjaž Vipotnik
- 1976: Jože Babič
- Vojko Duletič
- Jože Javoršek
- Svetlana Makarovič
- Niko Matul
- Janez Mejač
- Mladinski pevski zbor iz Maribora
- Milena Muhič
- Marko Muhič
- Borut Pečar
- Frane Puntar
- Peter Skalar in Judita Skalar
- Tinca Stegovec
- 1977: Hubert Bergant
- Vlado Habjan
- Tone Lapajne
- Janez Marinšek in Koni Steinbaher
- Valentin Polanšek
- Majda Potokar
- Milan Stibilj
- Zvone Šedlbauer
- Anton Tomašič
- Janez Vidic
- Radojka Vrančič
- Joco Žnidaršič
- Zala Dobnik, Hugo Porenta, Milan Štrukelj, Jože Dobrin in Alenka Velkavrh
- Ciril Škerjanec
- Milena Zupančič
- 1978: Anton Grčar
- Meta Hočevar
- Jane Kavčič
- Vladimir Kavčič
- Rudi Kosmač
- Marija Kobi
- Fedja Košir
- Miroslav Košuta
- Janko Messner
- Janez Povše
- Janez Suhadolc
- Janez Šibila
- Dušan Tršar
- Vojko Vidmar
- 1979: Pavla Brunčko
- Ervin Friz
- Zdenka Golob
- Aleš Jan
- Drago Jančar
- Dušan Jovanović
- Boris Juh
- Stojan Kerbler
- Anica Kumer
- Pavel Mihelčič
- Anton Nanut
- Ana Pusar Jerič
- Milan Rijavec
- Evgen Sajovic
- Meta Vrhunc
- Saša Vuga
- Studio 7 v Biroju 71-Domžale (Štefan Kacin, Radislav Popović, Jurij Princes, Bogdan Špindler)
- 1980: Danilo Benedičič
- Evgen Car
- Anton Demšar
- Karpo Godina
- Irena Grafenauer
- Niko Grafenauer
- Stane Jagodič
- Norina Jankovič
- Minu Kjuder
- Rudolf Kotnik
- Tone Partljič
- Bogdan Reichenberg
- Marjan Rožanc
- Dubravka Sambolec
- Mira Sardoč
- Ati Soss
- Marko Dekleva, Matjaž Garzarolli, Vojteh Ravnikar in Egon Vatovec
- Janez Bizjak, Marko Cotič in Dušan Engelsberger
- 1981: Janez Albreht
- Ljerka Belak
- Alenka Gerlovič
- Herman Gvardjančič
- Janez Hočevar - Rifle
- Andrej Inkret
- Miša Jelnikar
- Silvester Komel
- Marko Kravos
- Uroš Lajovic
- Janez Matičič
- Valentin Oman
- Milan Pajk
- Jože Privšek
- Biba Bertok in Marjan Gašperšič
- 1982: Danilo Bezlaj
- Janez Drozg
- Bronislav Fajon
- Branko Gombač
- Branko Gradišnik
- Lidija Kozlovič
- Božo Rogelja
- Barbara Rot in Božo Rot
- Slovenski kvintet trobil (Anton Grčar, Stanko Arnold, Viljem Trampuš, Boris Šinigoj, Boris Gruden)
- Vinko Tušek
- 1983: Ivo Ban
- Janez Bermež
- Vesna Gaberšček Ilgo
- Andrej Kokot
- Mojmir Lasan
- Branko Madžarevič
- Adriana Maraž
- Pihalni kvintet RTV Ljubljana (Jože Pogačnik, Božo Rogelja, Alojz Zupan, Jože Falout, Jože Banič)
- Milan Pogačnik
- Peter Ternovšek
- 1984: Bine Matoh
- Miloš Mlejnik
- Boris A. Novak
- Franc Novinc
- Klavdij Palčič
- Edvard Sršen
- Tone Stojko
- Lane Stranič
- Aleš Valič
- Marija Vidau
- 1985: Stanko Arnold
- Jožica Avbelj
- Olga Gracelj
- Gustav Januš
- Zmago Jeraj
- Taras Kermauner
- Miljenko Licul in Ranko Novak
- Rajko Ranfl
- Rudi Španzel
- Dare Valič
- 1986: Mijo Basailović
- Dragica Čadež
- Karel Jerič
- Milan Jesih
- Silvij Kobal
- Mirko Lipužič
- Tomaž Medvešček
- Marko Munih
- Vlado Novak
- Renato Quaglia
- 1987: Aleš Berger
- Emerik Bernard
- Alojz Ihan
- Lojze Logar
- Berta Meglič
- Ivanka Mežan
- Eduard Miler
- Vladimir Pezdirc
- Milko Šparemblek
- Fauvel 86 (Lojze Lebič, Ksenija Hribar, Jernej Habjanič)
- 1988: Jani Bavčar
- Peter Boštjančič
- Silva Čušin
- Peter Gabrijelčič
- Zdenko Huzjan
- Niko Košir
- Edi Majaron
- Uroš Rojko
- Ivo Svetina
- Lujo Vodopivec
- 1989: Emil Baronik
- Milan Dekleva
- Harald Draušbaher
- Veronika Drolc
- Maja Haderlap
- Franci Slak
- Maks Strmčnik
- Marija Lucija Stupica
- Vito Taufer
- Franko Vecchiet
- 1990: Aleš Debeljak
- Lojze Drašler
- Tomaž Lorenz in Alenka Šček Lorenz
- Filip Robar Dorin
- Franček Rudolf
- Janez Škof
- Mario Uršič
- Snežana Vrhovec
- 1991: Drago Bajt
- Andrej Brvar
- Radovan Jenko
- Vladimir Jurc
- Marko Letonja
- Tomaž Pandur
- Matjaž Počivavšek
- Marko Pogačnik
- Metka Rojc
- Aleš Vodopivec
- 1992: Gustav Gnamuš
- Janez Gregorc
- Igor Samobor
- Marjan Tomšič
- Damir Zlatar Frey
- Novi kolektivizem (Dejan Knez, Miran Mohor, Darko Pokorn in Roman Uranjek)
- 1993: Edi Berk
- Evald Fliser
- Janez Pipan
- Zorko Simčič
- Andraž Šalamun
- Petar Ugrin
- 1994: Komorni zbor Ave
- Iztok Kovač
- Marjetica Potrč
- Svetlana Visintin in Leo Kulaš
- Judita Zidar
- 1995: Mate Dolenc
- Jurij Kobe
- Feri Lainšček
- Srečko Špik
- Trio Lorenz
- Sergej Verč
- 1996: Marko Japelj
- Milena Morača
- Zdravko Papič
- Brane Šturbej
- Uroš Zupan
- Vlado Žabot
- 1997: Bjanka Adžić Ursulov
- Alojz Ajdič
- Maja Novak
- Matjaž Pogrjc
- Jernej Šugman
- Tugo Sušnik
- 1998: Jakov Brdar
- Matjaž Farič
- Uroš Kalčič
- Milada Kalezić
- Eta Sadar Breznik
- Igor Šterk
- 1999: Zvonko Čoh in Milan Erič
- Marko Fink in Nataša Valant
- Komorni godalni orkester Slovenske filharmonije
- Živko Marušič
- Jani Virk
- Andrej Zdravič
- 2000: Mirsad Begić
- Jani Golob
- Miran Kolbl
- Vinko Möderndorfer
- Saša Pavček
- Vito Taufer
- 2001: Gregor Baković
- Ivo Prančič
- Nataša Prosenc
- Peter Semolič
- Karmina Šilec
- Godalni kvartet Tartini
- 2002: Andrej Blatnik
- Bernarda Fink
- Polona Juh
- Matevž Medja
- Tanja Zgonc
- 2003: Jan Cvitković
- Mateja Koležnik
- Andrej Medved
- Alen Ožbolt
- Slowind
- Larisa Vrhunc
- 2004: Mate Bekavac
- Radoš Bolčina
- Iztok Geister
- Alenka Ribič Laufer
- Oto Rimela
- Igor Štuhec
- 2005: Matija Bevk in Vasa J.Perović
- Edward Clug
- Mirjam Kalin
- Milko Lazar
- Nataša Matjašec
- Milan Vincetič
- 2006: Mirko Bratuša
- Bojan Gorišek
- Nataša Barbara Gračner
- Milan Kleč
- Silvan Omerzu
- Maja Vidmar
- 2007: Anton Bogov
- Urška Pompe
- Vesna in Matej Vozlič
- Suzana Tratnik
- Marko Peljhan
- Jože Slak
- 2008: Primož Čučnik
- Sebastijan Horvat
- Ema Kugler
- Boštjan Lipovšek
- Uroš Smolej
- Bor Turel
- 2009: Sabina Cvilak Damjanovič
- Nenad Firšt
- Marko Mandić
- Tobias Putrih
- Goran Vojnović
- Miran Zupanič
- 2010: Miklavž Komelj
- Peter Musevski
- Aldo Kumar
- Barbara Cerar
- Andrej Rozman - Roza
- Maja Delak
- 2011: Janja Majzelj
- Lilijana Praprotnik Zupančič
- Emil Filipčič
- Zlatko Kaučič
- Jure Miklavc
- Branko Robinšak
- 2012: Maruša Zorec
- Franc Kosem
- Stojan Kuret
- Ivica Buljan
- Iztok Mlakar
- Andrej E. Skubic
- 2013: Bernarda Fink
- Marcos Fink
- Marija Javoršek
- Gorazd Kocijančič
- Regina Križaj
- Metod Pevec
- Jože Vidic
- 2014: Vladimir Kos
- Jernej Lorenci
- Jože Možina
- Vesna Pernarčič
- Slovene Percussion Project
- Alenka Sottler
- 2015: Rosana Hribar
- Marko Jakše
- Gregor Luštek
- Jure Pukl
- Marjan Strojan
- Pia Zemljič
- Vito Žuraj
- 2016: Ambrož Čopi
- Janusz Kisca
- Aleksij Kobal
- Cvetka Lipuš
- Mojca Smerdu
- Katarina Stegnar