Danilo Lokar (9 May 1892 – 21 July 1989) was a Slovene physician and

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

writer.

Life

He was born in the town of

Ajdovščina Ajdovščina (; it, Aidussina,trilingual name "Haidenschaft, Aidussina, Ajdovščina" inGemeindelexikon, der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche und Länder. Bearbeit auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900. Herausgege ...

in the

County of Gorizia and Gradisca The Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca (german: Gefürstete Grafschaft Görz und Gradisca; it, Principesca Contea di Gorizia e Gradisca; sl, Poknežena grofija Goriška in Gradiščanska), historically sometimes shortened to and spelled " ...

, in what was then

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(today in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

). Danilo was the oldest of six children in a family which made its living through

tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

, and which ran a small leather shop. He graduated from the Gorizia State Grammar School in 1910 and entered the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hist ...

, where he studied medicine. Upon finishing he returned to his birthplace with Jelka Špacapan, who was to become his wife, and began working as a doctor. In Ajdovščina he made the acquaintance of painter

Veno Pilon Veno Pilon (22 September 1896 – 23 September 1970) was a Slovene expressionist painter, graphic artist and photographer. Biography Pilon was born in Ajdovščina, then part of the Austro-Hungarian province of Gorizia and Gra ...

. Lokar did specialist work in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

for a time before realizing that he could not work as a surgeon due to his poor health; as a consequence he decided to become a writer. In 1933 he published his first short story, "The Dance", in the progressive literary review ''

Sodobnost ''Sodobnost'' ( Slovene for ''Modernity'' or ''Contemporary Time'') is a Slovenian literary and cultural magazine, established in 1933. It is considered the oldest of currently existing literary magazines in Slovenia. Although ''Sodobnost'' has tr ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he was imprisoned by the Italian Fascist authorities in the

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

, in the

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...

region. Upon the

Italian armistice The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brigad ...

he joined the

partisan forces Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

together with his wife. After the war he worked as a doctor until 1951, when he retired, fully dedicating his time to writing. In 1959 he won the

Prešeren Award The Prešeren Award ( sl, Prešernova nagrada), also called the Grand Prešeren Award ( sl, Velika Prešernova nagrada), is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia. It is awarded each yea ...

, the highest Slovenian prize for artistic achievements, for his short story collection ''Sodni dan na Vasi'' ("Doomsday in the Village"). Lokar died in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

in 1989 and was buried in his hometown. Danilo Lokar was the brother-in-law of the Slovene Communist theoretician Dragotin Gustinčič and uncle of the renowned journalist Jurij Gustinčič.Petra Kolenc, ''Dr. Henrik Tuma in njegova knjižnica'' (Nova Gorica – Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, 2008), 16

Work

Lokar's stories often describe people from the

Vipava Valley The Vipava Valley (; sl, Vipavska dolina, german: Wippachtal, it, Valle del Vipacco) is a valley in the Slovenian Littoral, roughly between the village of Podnanos to the east and the border with Italy to the west. The main towns are Ajdovš ...

and its surroundings. Artistic elements, especially related to painting, can often be seen in his plots; these are frequently fleshed out with more essay-like passages. Lokar's work is known mostly for its expressionist manner and for the peculiar worldview which it espouses.

References

External links

Brief biography and a collection of his short stories
1892 births 1989 deaths Slovenian writers Prešeren Award laureates Yugoslav Partisans members People from Ajdovščina Expressionist writers Slovenian surgeons Ethnic Slovene people University of Vienna alumni 20th-century Slovenian physicians Yugoslav writers {{slovenia-writer-stub