Matej Bor was the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of Vladimir Pavšič (14 April 1913 – 29 September 1993), who was a Slovene

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

Partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

Biography

Matej Bor was born as Vladimir Pavšič in the village of

Grgar Grgar (; ) is a village in western Slovenia in the Municipality of Nova Gorica. It is located under Holy Mount (), above the Soča Valley and below the Banjšice Plateau. Name Grgar was mentioned in written sources 1370 as ''Gaergaer'' and in 138 ...

near

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

, in what was then the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

County of Gorizia and Gradisca The Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca (; ; ), historically sometimes shortened to and spelled "Goritz", was a crown land of the Habsburg dynasty within the Austrian Littoral on the Adriatic Sea, in what is now a multilingual border area of ...

and is today part of Slovenia. After the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

annexation of the

Julian March The Julian March ( Croatian and ), also called Julian Venetia (; ; ; ), is an area of southern Central Europe which is currently divided among Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia.

in 1920, his family moved to

Celje Celje (, , ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, third-largest city in Slovenia. It is a regional center of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria and the administrative seat of the City Municipality of Celje. Th ...

, which was then part of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. After finishing his studies at Celje High School, he enrolled 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 ...

, where he studied Slovene and Slavic philology. After graduating in 1937, Bor did not get a proper job due to his communist activity but worked for a short while as a journalist in

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

. He wrote poetry and from mid-year 1940 until the German occupation in 1941, he was employed as a professor in

Kočevje Kočevje (; ; ''Göttscheab'' or ''Gətscheab'' in the local Gottscheerish dialect; ) is a town and the seat of Municipality of Kočevje in southern Slovenia. Geography The town is located at the foot of the Kočevski Rog karst plateau on t ...

. When the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, he escaped from

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

-occupied Maribor to the Italian-occupied

Province of Ljubljana The Province of Ljubljana (, , ) was the central-southern area of Slovenia. In 1941, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy, and after 1943 occupied by Nazi Germany. Created on May 3, 1941, it was abolished on May 9, 1945, when the Slovene Parti ...

. In the summer of the same year he joined the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

-led partisan resistance, where he worked in the area of culture and propaganda. During the People's Liberation War he emerged as one of the major poets of the

Slovene resistance Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia * Sl ...

. Several of his battle songs became hugely popular. One of them, Hey, Brigades, became the unofficial anthem of Slovene partisan forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was during this period that he started to use the pseudonym ''Matej Bor'', which he continued to use also after the war. In 1944, he moved to

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

which had just been liberated by the Yugoslav partisans. There he worked at the Slovene section of ''Radio Free Yugoslavia'', led by

Boris Ziherl Boris may refer to: People * Boris (given name), a male given name * *List of people with given name Boris * Boris (surname) Arts and media * Boris (band), a Japanese experimental rock trio * ''Boris'' (EP), by Yezda Urfa, 1975 * "Boris" (son ...

. Among his colleagues in Belgrade were the authors

Igo Gruden Igo Gruden (18 April 1893 – 29 November 1948) was a Slovene poet and translator. He was born as Ignacij Gruden in the small fishing village of Aurisina near Trieste, then part of the Austro-Hungarian County of Gorizia and Gradisca (now in Ita ...

, Edvard Kocbek and Anton Ingolič. In 1945, he moved back to

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

, where he dedicated himself to writing and translating. He received the highest recognition for cultural achievements in Slovenia, the

Prešeren Award The Prešeren Award (), also called the Grand Prešeren Award (), is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia. It is awarded each year by the Prešeren Fund () to two eminent Slovene art ...

in 1947 and again in 1952. In 1965, he became a member of the

Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( (SAZU)) is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members of the academy. Cultural significance Establis ...

. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was the president of the Slovenian section of the International P.E.N. During the period of

, Bor often used his influence to help

dissidents A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...

or to sponsor causes challenging official policies. In the 1960s, he publicly criticized the imprisonment of the

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

dissident writer

Mihajlo Mihajlov Mihajlo Mihajlov ( sr-Cyrl, Михајло Михајлов, ; 26 September 1934 – 7 March 2010) was a Serbian author, academic and publicist. Mihajlov became one of the most prominent dissidents in Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe after his arres ...

. He was one of the founders of the

environmentalist Environmentalism is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of Green politics, g ...

movements in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

in the early 1970s. He also voiced his support for the heritage protection movement which fought against the demolishing of historic buildings in Ljubljana (such as the Kozler's Palace). In the late 1970s and early 1980s he led the platform for the rehabilitation of the victims of

Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...

show trials A show trial is a public trial in which the guilt or innocence of the defendant has already been determined. The purpose of holding a show trial is to present both accusation and verdict to the public, serving as an example and a warning to ...

in Slovenia (the so-called

Dachau trials The Dachau trials, also known as the Dachau Military Tribunal, handled the prosecution of almost every war criminal captured in the U.S. military zones in Allied-occupied Germany and in Allied-occupied Austria, and the prosecutions of military ...

of 1947). In 1984 he helped the writer

Igor Torkar Igor Torkar was the pen name of Boris Fakin (13 October 1913 – 1 January 2004), a Slovenian writer, playwright, and poet best known for his literary descriptions of Communist repression in Yugoslavia after World War II. Life Torkar was born ...

to publish a novel on his experiences in the Goli Otok concentration camp. In the 1980s, Bor researched and attempted to translate

Venetic Venetic ( ) is an extinct Indo-European language, most commonly classified into the Italic subgroup, that was spoken by the Veneti people in ancient times in northeast Italy (Veneto and Friuli) and part of modern Slovenia, between the Po ...

inscriptions by using Slovene and its dialects. Together with Jožko Šavli and Ivan Tomažič, he advocated the theory of the Venetic origins of Slovenes, claiming that the

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...

are the descendants of a pre-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

-speaking people called the ''Veneti''. None of the three men were linguists, and the theory was soon rejected by scholars, but launched a long controversy in which Bor played a prominent role. He died in

Radovljica Radovljica (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Slovenia, town in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Radovljica. Geography The town is located on the southern slope of the Karawan ...

in 1993 and was buried in Ljubljana.

Work

Bor published a number of poetry collections. His first collection, called ''Previharimo viharje'', was published during the

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

resistance fight in 1942 by an underground publishing house. In 1959 he published the book ''Šel je popotnik skozi atomski vek'' (A Wanderer Went Through the Atom Age), an apocalyptic poetic reflection on the environmental disasters in the

Atomic Age The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon, The Gadget at the '' Trinity'' test in New Mexico on 16 July 1945 during World War II. Although nuclear chain r ...

. The book was republished in several editions and was translated into the major European languages and contributed to Bor's popularity outside Yugoslavia. Bor also wrote twelve plays and a number of literary works for children and youth. He was a regular contributor to publications for children and teenagers such as ''Ciciban'', ''Pionir'', ''Pionirski list'', ''Najdihojca'' (a supplement of the journal ''

Delo ''Delo'' () is a business oriented online media in Ukraine, belonging to ekonomika+ media holding. ''Delo'' was the first daily in Ukraine, publishing its real print circulation (13.000 - 15.000) and trying to introduce Western editorial and b ...

''), ''Mali Rod'' ( Klagenfurt) and ''The Voice of Youth'' (

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

). He also wrote the screenplay for the

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Vesna Vesna may refer to: * Vesna (mythology), female characters associated with youth and springtime in early Slavic mythology *Vesna (given name), Slavic female name, includes a list of people with the name *Vesna (surname), includes a list of people ...

'', which was released in 1954. He translated a number of works by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

into Slovene. Bor is also remembered for discovering the "letter rules" of the Venetian alphabet and Venetian grammar. His claims have been rejected by scholars.

Essential bibliography

Main poetry collections

*''Previharimo viharje'' (1942) *''Pesmi'' (Poems, 1944) *''Pesmi'' (Poems, 1946) *''Bršljan nad jezom'' (Ivy on the Dam, 1951) *''Sled naših senc'' (The Trace of our Shadows, 1958) *''Podoknice tišini'' (Serenades to Silence, 1983) *''Sto manj en epigram'' (A Hundred but One Epigram, 1985)

Youth literature

* ''Uganke'' (Riddles, 1951) * ''Slike in pesmi o živalih'' (Images and Songs About Animals, 1956) * ''Sračje sodišče ali je, kar je'' (The Raven Court or Whatever Is Done is Done, 1961) * ''Pesmi za Manjo'' (Songs for Manja, 1985) * ''Ropotalo in ptice'' (The Scarecrow and Birds, 1985) * ''Palčki - pihalčki'' (Dwarves, 1991)

Discography

Source: * ''Zajček'' (1968) * ''Partizan'' (1980) * ''Jutri Gremo V Napad'' (1988) * ''Hej Brigade'' (2006) (published posthumly)

English translations

*''A Wanderer Went Through the Atom Age'', (London: Adam Books, 1959). *''A Wanderer in the Atom Age'' (Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 1970). *''An Anthology of Modern Yugoslav Poetry'', edited by

Janko Lavrin Janko Lavrin (10 February 1887 – 13 August 1986) was a Slovene novelist, poet, critic, translator, and historian. He was Professor Andrej Jelenc DiCaprio of Slavonic Studies at the University of Nottingham. An enthusiast for psycho-analysis, h ...

(London: J. Calder, 1962).

Sources

*Marija Arh, ''Primernost Borovih pesmi za učence od 1. do 4. razreda OŠ: diplomsko delo'' (Ljubljana: M. Arh, 1993), 13-15, 48-50. *

Viktor Blažič Viktor Blažič (19 July 1928 – 25 June 2014) was a Slovenian journalist, essayist, translator and former anti-Communist dissident. He was born in the village of Smolenja Vas near Novo Mesto in south-eastern Slovenia, then part of the Kingdo ...

, ''Svinčena leta'' (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1999). *

Janko Kos Janko Kos (born 9 March 1931) is a Slovenian literary historian, theoretician, and critic. Early life He was born in Ljubljana in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as the son of the painter and sculptor Tine Kos. His father was a liberal ...

, ''Pregled slovenskega slovstva'' (Ljubljana: DZS, 2002), 359. *

, ''Umiranje na obroke'', preface by Matej Bor (Ljubljana: Delo, 1984). *

Ciril Zlobec Ciril Zlobec (4 July 1925 – 24 August 2018) was a Slovene poet, writer, translator, journalist and former politician. He is best remembered for his poems, publishing several volumes of poetry in his lifetime. In 1990 he became a member of th ...

, ''Spomin kot zgodba: avtobiografski roman'' (Ljubljana: Prešernova družba, 1998).
Document on Bor's role in the Yugoslav P.E.N.
at the

Blinken Open Society Archives The Blinken OSA Archivum (abbreviated as the 'Archivum'') is a dynamic archival institution that aims to explore new ways of assessing, contextualizing, presenting, and making use of archival documents both in a professional and a consciously act ...

Biography of Igo Gruden with reference to Bor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bor, Matej 1913 births 1993 deaths People from the Urban Municipality of Nova Gorica People from Gorizia Ethnic Slovene people Slovenian male poets Slovenian translators Yugoslav poets Yugoslav translators Yugoslav science fiction writers English–Slovene translators Presidents of the Slovene Writers' Association 20th-century Slovenian poets 20th-century Slovenian dramatists and playwrights Yugoslav Partisans members University of Ljubljana alumni Members of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Prešeren Award laureates