France Pibernik (September 2, 1928 – April 21, 2021) was a Slovene poet, author, essayist, and literary historian.

Life

Pibernik was born in Suhadole. He attended high school in Kranj and then enrolled in Slavic studies in Ljubljana, where he graduated in 1955. Until 1958 he taught at a middle school at

Dobrovo Dobrovo (; it, Castel Dobra) is a settlement the Littoral region of Slovenia, close to the border with Italy. It is the administrative centre of the Municipality of Brda. It lies on the road that connects the Friuli Plain and the Soča Valley. D ...

in the

Gorizia Hills The Gorizia Hills ( it, Collio Goriziano or ''Collio''; sl, Goriška brda or ''Brda''; fur, Cuei) is a hilly microregion in western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies on the right bank of the Soča (''Isonzo'') river, north of the Italia ...

, and after that at the high school in

Kranj Kranj (, german: Krainburg) is the third-largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 37,941 (2020). It is located approximately northwest of Ljubljana. The centre of the City Municipality of Kranj and of the traditional region of Upper Carniol ...

until his retirement in 1990. In the foreword to his book ''Janez Jalen'', it is written about Pibernik that "as for many knowledgeable and intellectually diverse people, it is also true of him that, in the years when their work lives are no longer at the forefront, they are even more active and productive."

Literary activity

Initially, Pibernik's poetry was close to Neo-Romantic currents, and it later developed in the direction of Modernism. His first poetry collection, ''Bregovi ulice'' (1960), was followed by more volumes, among which his poetry collection ''Ajdova znamenja'' is the most notable. The most important part of Pibernik's works on literature are the volumes ''Med tradicijo in modernizmom'' (Between Tradition and Modernism), ''Med modernizmom in avantgardo'' (Between Modernism and the Avant-Garde), and ''Čas romana'' (The Era of the Novel). The first two present the author's correspondence with poets, and ''Čas romana'' with the prose writers. As a literary historian, Pibernik focused on work written during the Second World War and by Slovenes in exile, which was suppressed in Slovenia for political and ideological reasons. These include volumes on the poetry of

France Balantič France Balantič (29 November 1921 – 24 November 1943) was a Slovenian language, Slovene poet. His works were banned from schools and libraries during the Titoist regime in Slovenia, but since the late 1980s he has been re-evaluated as one of th ...

and Ivan Hribovšek, the anthology ''Jutro pozabljenih'' (Dawn of the Forgotten, 1991), the volume ''Temni zaliv Franceta Balantiča'' (The Dark Bay of France Balantič), his study ''Slovenski dunajski krog 1941–1945'' (The Slovenian Vienna Circle, 1941–1945), and his biography of Karel Mauser.

Poetry collections

* ''Bregovi ulice'', 1960 () * ''Ravnina'', 1968 () * ''Razlage'', 1973 * ''September'', 1974 () * ''Odzvok – pesmi v prozi'', 1979 () * ''Ajdova znamenja – izbor'', 1993 () * ''Svetloba timijan'', 2000 ()

Literary history

* ''Med tradicijo in modernizmom: pričevanja o sodobni poeziji'', 1978 () * ''Med modernizmom in avantgardo: pričevanja o sodobni poeziji'', 1981 () * ''Čas romana: pogovori s slovenskimi pisatelji'', 1983 () * ''Temni zaliv Franceta Balantiča'', 1989, 1990 () * ''Slovenski dunajski krog 1941–1945'', 1991 () * ''Razmerja v sodobni slovenski dramatiki: pogovori, dopisovanja, razmišljanja'', 1992 () * '' Karel Mauser: življenje in delo'', 1993 () *

Anton Vodnik Anton Vodnik (28 May 1901 – 2 October 1965) was a Slovenian poet, art historian, and critic. He was one of the most notable representatives of Slovene Catholic expressionism in the interwar period. He was born in Ljubljana, and studied art his ...

, ''Zbrano delo'' (editor), 1993 () * ''Ogledala sanj Jožeta Udoviča: dokumenti, pričevanja, komentarji'', 1996 () * ''Slovenska duhovna pesem: od Prešerna do danes'', 2001 () * ''Beseda čez ocean: antologija slovenske zdomske pozije'', 2002 () * ''

Janez Jalen Janez Jalen (26 May 1891 – 12 April 1966) was a Slovene writer and priest. Life Janez Jalen was born into a rural family in the Upper Carniolan village of Rodine. His father awakened in him a great interest in nature early on in his life. ...

: življenjska in pisateljska pot v dokumentih, pričevanjih in razlagah'', 2003 () * ''Začudene oči otroštva'' (memoir), 2008 () * ''

: življenjska in pesniška pot 1921–1943: literarna usoda po letu 1945'', 2008 () * ''

Jože Udovič Jože is a male given name related to Joseph. Notable people with this name include: * Jože Babič (1917–1996), Slovenian film, theatre and television director * Jože Benko (born 1980), Slovenian football striker * Jože Berc (born 1944), Slo ...

: Udovičeva poezija med realnostjo in vizijo z dvema proznima intermezzoma'', 2008 () * Ivan Hribovšek, ''Zbrano delo'' (editor), 2010 () * Vladimir Truhlar, ''Zbrano delo'' (editor), 2011 () * ''Vladimir Truhlar'', 2016 () * ''

'', 2012 () * France Balantič, ''Zbrano delo'' (editor, series '' Zbrana dela slovenskih pesnikov in pisateljev''), 2008 () * '' Severin Šali: popotnik, zaljubljen v življenje'', 2019 ()

Research on suppressed writers

In his last decade, Pibernik devoted himself mainly to researching the lives and works of writers that were politically banned and suppressed under the communist regime in Slovenia. He published many books on this topic, starting with an anthology: * ''Jutro pozabljenih: antologija padlih, pobitih, prepovedanih, zamolčanih, pozabljenih'', 1991 () *

, ''Tihi glas piščali'' (editor), 1991 * Ivan Hribovšek, ''Himna večeru: izbrane pesmi'' (editor), 1993 () * France Kunstelj, ''Luč na mojem pragu: izbrane črtice in novele'' (editor), 1994 () * Ludve Potokar, ''Onstran samote'' (editor), 1995 () * Tone Polda, ''Moja Krnica'', 1996 () *''Pozni november za pesnika: biografska pripoved : France Balantič, 29. november 1921 – 24. november 1943'', 2016 () *''Dohojene stopinje: pogovori in dokumenti: 2000–2018'' (with

Zorko Simčič Zorko is both a surname and a given name. Surname: *Branko Zorko (born 1967), Croatian middle-distance runner *Dayne Zorko (born 1989), Australian rules footballer *Janez Zorko (born 1937), Slovenian sculptor and mountain climber *Vlasta Zorko (bor ...

), 2019 () *''

Alojz Rebula Alojz Rebula (June 21, 1924 – October 23, 2018) was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, and translator, and a prominent member of the Slovene minority in Italy. He lived and worked in Villa Opicina in the Province of Trieste, Italy. He was ...

: 1924-2018: dokumentarna monografija (1924–2018)'', 2019 () *''Mož neuklonljivih ramen: pogovori s Francetom Pibernikom (junij–oktober 1998)'' (with Anton Drobnič), 2021 ()

Recognitions and awards

*2008: Trubar Award for exceptional contributions to the preservation of the Slovenian written cultural heritage, conferred by the

National and University Library of Slovenia The National and University Library ( sl, Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, ), established in 1774, is one of the most important national educational and cultural institutions of Slovenia. It is located in the centre of Ljubljana, between Aue ...

*2013: honorary citizen of

*Honorary member of the Celje Hermagoras Society

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pibernik, France 1928 births 2021 deaths Slovenian male poets Slovenian essayists Slovenian literary historians Ethnic Slovene people 20th-century poets People from the Municipality of Komenda