Gregor Strniša

Poet, dramatist and essayist Gregor Strniša (1930-1987) was born in Ljubljana where he attended primary school between 1937 and 1941, continuing his education at a classical gymnasium. In 1949 he was arrested and convicted, alongside his family, for assisting political emigrants and leaking state secrets. In 1961 he graduated from Germanic Studies at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana. Despite his degree he was never employed, working all his life as an independent thinker and playwright. In his poetic dramas Unicorn, Frogs, Cannibals and Dryad he explored the timeless archetypes of violence and man’s horrifying capacity for destruction. Gregor Strniša’s poetry collections (Mosaics, 1959; Odysseus, 1963; Stars, 1965; Acorn, 1972; Eye, 1974; Scissors, 1975; Egg, 1975) reveal his inquisitive affinity for the metaphysical. He also wrote essayist narrative prose, youth literature, radio plays and song lyrics. For his creative oeuvre, Gregor Strniša received the Prešeren Foundation Award in 1964, and in 1986 the Great Prešeren Award, the nation’s highest artistic accolade.