Irena Brežná (born 26 February 1950) is a Slovak-

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

writer, journalist and human rights activist writing in German.

Early life and education

Irena Brežná was born on 26 February 1950, in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

. She grew up in

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest municip ...

. Her parents were repressed by the communist Czechoslovak authorities, her mother spent a year in prison after an unsuccessful attempt to flee to Sweden, and her father – a lawyer – was forbidden from working in his professional field. Eventually, her family emigrated in 1968 to Switzerland. In 1975, Brežná began studying Psychology, Philosophy and

Slavic studies Slavic (American English) or Slavonic (British English) studies, also known as Slavistics is the academic field of area studies concerned with Slavic areas, languages, literature, history, and culture. Originally, a Slavist or Slavicist was prim ...

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

. She worked as a psychologist and translated from Russian into German.

Career

During

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, Brežná worked as a radio correspondent for the BBC Radio,

Deutsche Welle Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...

and the Slovak branch of Radio Free Europe. She also actively participated in the works of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

, focusing on humanitarian and women's rights issues in

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

and

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

. Since the 1980s, she has been a regular contributor to the German and Swiss press, including ''

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

'', ''

Tages-Anzeiger ''Tages-Anzeiger'' (), also abbreviated ''Tagi'' or ''TA'', is a Swiss German-language national daily newspaper published in Zurich, Switzerland. History and profile The paper was first published under the name ''Tages-Anzeiger für Stadt und K ...

'', ''

Neue Zürcher Zeitung The ''Neue Zürcher Zeitung'' (''NZZ''; "New Journal of Zürich") is a Swiss, German-language daily newspaper, published by NZZ Mediengruppe in Zürich. The paper was founded in 1780. It was described as having a reputation as a high-quality ne ...

, Basler Zeitung'' and ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of SZ is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and social-democrat. History ...

''. In the 1990s, she began regularly visiting Slovakia and contributing to a Slovak magazine, ''Aspekt''. Brežná writes in German. In her work, she often deals with the themes of alienation and injustice. She debuted in 1989 with an anti-racist children's book cowritten with Alpha Oumar Barry, titled ''Biro & Barbara''. Her autobiographical work ''Die Beste aller Welten'' (2008) placed in Swiss bestseller lists. Brežná is the recipient of a Swiss Literature Award for her 2012 novel ''Die undankbare Fremde''. She was also awarded the Slovak Dominik Tatarka Award (2016) and

Hermann Kesten Prize The Hermann Kesten Prize (german: link=no, Hermann-Kesten-Preis), formally the Hermann Kesten Medal (german: link=no, Hermann-Kesten-Medaille), is a German literary award presented annually for outstanding efforts in support of persecuted writ ...

(2021). Her journalist work has brought her Emma-Journalistinnen-Preis,

Theodor Wolff Prize The Theodor Wolff Prize is a German journalism prize. It has been awarded annually since 1962 in five categories, equal prizes of €6,000, by the . In addition, at irregular intervals, journalists are awarded the Theodor Wolff Prize for their life ...

and Zürcher Journalistenpreis. In 2022, she was awarded the

Pribina Cross Slovakia has a system of orders and decorations for citizens who do great deeds for the country. With the exception of the Order of the White Double Cross, all the orders are reserved for Slovak citizens. Below is a list of national decorations, ...

(2nd Class), a Slovak state order. Brežná lives in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

Publications

* * * ** Ірэна Брэжна. ''Найлепшы з усіх светаў'' : Раман / пераклад з нямецкай Лізаветы Касмач (in

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

). — Вільня: Логвінаў, 2015. — 126 с. * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brezna, Irena 1950 births Living people Slovak emigrants to Switzerland Writers from Bratislava 21st-century Slovak women writers 20th-century Slovak women writers Swiss women's rights activists Slovak women journalists Swiss women journalists Swiss writers in German Recipients of the Pribina Cross