Peter Zajac (born 3 February 1946) is a Slovak

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

and politician who served as an MP of the National Council between 1998 and 2001 and again between 2010 and 2012. He is married to the

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

writer Alta Vášová. In 2020 president

Zuzana Čaputová Zuzana Čaputová (; Strapáková; born 21 June 1973) is a Slovak politician, lawyer and environmental activist who served as the fifth president of Slovakia from 2019 to 2024. Čaputová is the first woman to hold the presidency, as well as the ...

awarded Peter Zajac

Ľudovít Štúr Order Ľudovít (; sometimes spelled ''Ludevít'') is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ľudovít Černák (born 1951), former Slovak politician, businessman, chairman of ŠK Slovan Bratislava * Ľudovít Cvetler (born 1938), former ...

, 1st class.

Early life

Peter Zajac father was a

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...

and his mother was a

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

. He studied Slovak and German language at the

Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...

and at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

, graduating in 1968. Between 1968 and 1989 he worked as Faculty at the Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. He is currently active as a researcher at the

Slovak Academy of Sciences The Slovak Academy of Sciences (, or SAV) is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. It was founded in 1942, closed after World War II, and then reestablished in 1953. Its primary ...

and Professor

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

at the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

. Between 1990 and 1991, Zajac served as the first Chairman of the Slovak chapter of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

Political career

Zajac is a Founding Member of the

Public Against Violence Public Against Violence (, VPN) was a political movement established in Bratislava, Slovakia in November 1989. It was the Slovak counterpart of the Czech Civic Forum. Velvet Revolution Public Against Violence (VPN) was founded during the Velvet ...

party. Between 1995 and 1999, he was a member of the Democratic Party, which was in 1998 incorporated in

Slovak Democratic Coalition The Slovak Democratic Coalition (, SDK) was an electoral platform—constituted as an instrumental political party—for the 1998 parliamentary election. The party split in 2000, when some members rejoined their original parties, while others, l ...

. Between 1998 and 2001 he was an MP of the National Council in the

caucus. In 2001, he became a founding member of the

Civic Conservative Party The Civic Conservative Party (, OKS) is a centre-right liberal conservative political party in Slovakia. It has one seat in the National Council, following the 2023 election. It has also representation at regional and local level. The OKS was ...

, serving as its chairman between 2007 and 2012. On 2010, the

ran on the

Most–Híd Most–Híd 2023 (; ; from the Slovak and Hungarian words for "bridge") is an inter-ethnic political party in Slovakia. Its programme calls for greater cooperation between the country's Hungarian minority and ethnic Slovak majority. It was o ...

party list. Zajac was again elected an MP, serving until the

2012 Slovak parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Slovakia on 10 March 2012 to elect the 150 members of the National Council. The elections followed the fall of Prime Minister Iveta Radičová's Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party-led ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zajac, Peter People of the Velvet Revolution Slovak academics Slovak Democratic Coalition politicians Slovak translators Living people 1946 births Politicians from Bratislava Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 1998–2002 Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2010-2012 Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin