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Tomaž Šalamun

トマシュ・シャラムン

Tomaz Šalamun

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1941-07-04 （Zagreb, Independent State of Croatia）
Died
2014-12-27 （Ljubljana, Slovenia） age 73
Nationality
Slovenian
Languages
Slovene
Residence History
Koper (childhood) → Ljubljana (residence) → United States (residence/visits, teaching)

Career

Occupations
Poet
Active Years
1964-2014
Affiliations
Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Memberships
Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)
Influenced By
Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery, Walt Whitman, Rumi (often cited)

Education

University of Ljubljana
Art History and History / Art History and History
Degree: 学士
Period: 1960–1965
Year of Graduation: 1965
Country: Yugoslavia
Studied art history and history; graduated in 1965.

Awards

Pushcart Prize
Organization: Pushcart Press (USA)
Result: 受賞
Prešeren Fund Award
Organization: Prešeren Fund (Slovenia)
Result: 受賞
Jenko Prize
Organization: Unknown
Result: 受賞
European Prize for Poetry (Muenster)
Organization: City of Muenster (Germany)
Result: 受賞（ドイツ語翻訳者と共同受賞）
Ovid Festival Prize
2004
Organization: Ovid Festival (Romania)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Duma '64

1964 Poetry

An iconoclastic poem published in 1964 in the magazine Perspektive; caused controversy for perceived political reference and led to the author's brief arrest.

ironyabsurditypolitical reference

The Selected Poems of Tomaž Šalamun

1988 Poetry collection (selected poems, English translation)

A representative English-language selection of his poems that helped introduce him to international audiences.

surrealismfragments of everyday lifeword play

Feast

2000 Poetry collection (English translation)

An English-language volume published in 2000; showcases Šalamun's sound play and absurd imagery.

feastvisionlinguistic strangeness

Woods and Chalices

2008 Poetry collection (English translation)

Translated into English by Brian Henry in 2008; contains poems dealing with nature and ritual imagery.

natureritualloss

Bibliography

  • The Selected Poems of Tomaž Šalamun (1988)
  • Feast (2000)
  • Woods and Chalices (2008)
  • More than 50 books of Slovene poetry (first samizdat edition in 1966 among early publications)

Translations of Works

  • Numerous translations into English, Chinese, Spanish, and over twenty-five languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
neo-avant-gardesurrealisticabsurdist poetry
Recurring Motifs
word playfragments of everyday lifedeath and lossvisionary imagery

Legacy

Tomaž Šalamun was a leading figure of postwar neo-avant-garde poetry in Central Europe who exerted considerable influence domestically and internationally. Through numerous translations he established an international reputation and is seen as a bridge between Slovenian literature and world poetry.

Academic Societies

  • Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU)

Quotes

  • There was no purer contemporary surrealist than the Slovenian poet Tomaz Salamun, whose poems are not designed to be interpreted but instead to act upon us, in order to open up in us a little dormant space of weirdness where we can hopefully feel more free.
    Source: Matthew Zapruder, The New York Times (2017)

Trivia

  • Briefly arrested in 1964 over the poem "Duma '64" published in Perspektive.
  • Published over 50 books of poetry; works translated into more than 25 languages.
  • Studied art history and history at the University of Ljubljana, graduated in 1965.
  • Spent time in the United States, including participation in the University of Iowa's International Writing Program.