Vitomil Zupan

Vitomil Zupan (1914–1987) was a Slovenian writer, screenwriter and poet, one of the most significant and controversial authors of Slovenian modernism. He was born in Ljubljana, and before World War II he lived a bohemian life, often changing professions and traveling. During the war he fought as a partisan, and his war experience deeply influenced his literary work. After the war he spent seven years in prison for alleged political reasons, which was reflected in his later works.

Zupan is the author of numerous novels, short stories, poems and plays. He is best known for his novel “Menuet za kitaro” (1975), a work that combines war memories and philosophical reflections and has become a classic of Slovenian literature. His style is characterized by existentialist introspection, strong individualism and honesty in depicting the human psyche. His poetry and prose are often imbued with eroticism, philosophy and social criticism.

Zupan also wrote film scripts, and his literary work only gained increasing recognition after his death. Today, he is considered one of the key authors of 20th-century Slovenian literature.