Mate Dolenc (born 5 October 1945) is a Slovene writer and translator. He writes novels, collections of short stories, children's books, travelogues and articles. Dolenc was born in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

in 1945. He started studying

comparative literature Comparative literature studies is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across language, linguistic, national, geographic, and discipline, disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role ...

at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...

but never completed his studies. He worked at

Mladina ''Mladina'' (English: Youth) is a Slovenian weekly political and current affairs magazine. Since the 1920s, when it was first published, it has become a voice of protest against those in power. Today, ''Mladinas weekly issues are distributed ...

for a few years in the early 1970s. Since 1973 he works as a free-lance writer. He has written over thirty books, several screenplays and numerous articles. He is also known for his

juvenile fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

. His passion for

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

is often reflected in the subject matter he chooses for his writing. The

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

and its islands have marked many of his books both for adult and young readers. In 2008 his two most successful novels ''The Gorjanci Vampire'' and ''The Sea at the Time of the Eclipse'' were made into feature films. In 1986 he won the

Levstik Award The Levstik Award () is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established by a Slovene publishin ...

for his novel for young readers ''Morska dežela na železniški postaji'' (The Land of Sea at the Railway Station). In 1995 he won the Prešeren Foundation Award for his novel ''Pes z Atlantide'' (The Dog from Atlantis) and his collection of short stories ''Rum in šah'' (Rum and Chess).Slovenian Ministry of Culture, complete list of Prešeren Foundation Awards recipients

Published works

* ''Menjalnica'' (The Exchange), short stories, 1970 * ''Peto nadstropje trinadstropne hiše'' (The Fifth Floor of a Three-Storey House), satirical novel, co-authored with

Dimitrij Rupel Dimitrij Rupel (born 7 April 1946) is a Slovenian politician. Early life and education Rupel was born in Ljubljana, in what was then the PR Slovenia, into a bourgeois family of former anti-fascist political emigrants from the Julian March (hi ...

, 1972 * ''Aleluja Katmandu'' (Hallelujah Katmandu), novel, 1973 * ''Razkošje v glavi'' (Luxury in the Mind), satire, co-authored with

Slavko Pregl Slavko Pregl, full name Vekoslav Pregl, (born 9 September 1945) is a Slovene writer, editor and publisher best known for his youth literature. He is the current director of the Slovenian Book Agency. Pregl was born in Ljubljana in 1945. He st ...

, 1974 * ''Nenavadna Slovenija'' (Unusual Slovenia), satire, co-authored with Slavko Pregl, 1974 * ''Potopljeni otok'' (The Sunken Island), short stories, 1976 * ''Vampir z Gorjancev'' (The Gorjanci Vampire), novel, 1979, 2004 * ''Gorenčev vrag'' (Gorenc's Devil), short stories, 1977 * ''Vloga mojih škornjev v angolski revoluciji'' (The Role of My Boots in the Angolan Revolution), short stories, 1985 * ''Morska dežela na železniški postaji'' (The Land of Sea at the Railway Station), youth literature, 1986 * ''Velika ptičja zadeva'' (A Great Matter for Birds), youth literature, 1987 * ''Praznik republike ali abrakadabra'' (Republic Day or Abracadabra), short stories, 1987 * ''Golo morje'' (The Bare Sea), youth literature, 1988 * ''Strupena Brigita'' (Poisonous Bridget), youth literature, 1989 * ''Njen modri dežni plašč'' (Her Blue Rain Coat), novel, 1990 * ''Podmorski svet in mi'' (The Deapths of the Sea and Us), diving manual, 1991 * ''Pes z Atlantide'' (The Dog from Atlantis), novel, 1993 * ''Rum in šah'' (Rum and Chess), short stories, 1993 * ''Ozvezdje Jadran'' (The Adriatic Constellation), 1998 * ''Z masko v podvodni svet'' (Into the Depth with a Diving Mask), educational picture book, 1999 * ''Morje v času mrka'' (The Sea at the Time of the Eclipse), novel, 2000 * ''Leteča ladja'' (The Flying Boat), youth literature, 2002 * ''Morski portreti'' (Portraits of the Sea), educational, 2003 * ''Potapljanje Na Vdih & Podvodni Ribolov'' (Free Diving and Underwater Fishing), manual, 2004 * ''Morsko dno pripoveduje'' (The Seabed Tells), youth literature, 2004 * ''Golo morje'' (The Bare Sea), youth literature, 2005 * ''Kako dolg je čas'' (how long is time), short stories, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolenc, Mate Writers from Ljubljana Slovenian translators Living people 1945 births Levstik Award laureates University of Ljubljana alumni Slovenian satirists Slovenian satirical novelists