Slobodan Prosperov Novak (born 11 April 1951
), is a
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
n literature historian, comparativist and theatrologist.
Biography
Prosperov Novak was born in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, but spent his childhood in
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
. He graduated comparative literature in 1973 at the
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty may refer to:
* Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage)
* Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States)
* Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warra ...
in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, receiving his M.A. in 1976 and Ph.D. in 1978. He worked as a journalist in a periodical ''Vjesnik u srijedu'' (1973–1974).
In 1977 he is an assistant, and in 1988 a professor of Old Croatian literature at the Faculty of Philosophy.
In the period of 1981-1984 he teaches at the Institute for Slavic Philology of the
University of Rome, and from 1990–1992 he serves as an assistant of the minister of education, culture and sport of the Republic of Croatia.
In 1990–1992 he was the president of the council of
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival ( hr, Dubrovačke ljetne igre; is an annually-held summer festival instituted in 1950 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is held every year between 10 July and 25 August.
On more than 70 open-air venues of Renaissance-Baroq ...
, and in 2000 served as its head.
He was the initiator and the first editor-in-chief of
Matica hrvatska
Matica hrvatska ( la, Matrix Croatica) is the oldest independent, non-profit and non-governmental Croatian national institution. It was founded on February 2, 1842 by the Croatian Count Janko Drašković and other prominent members of the Illyri ...
's periodical ''
Vijenac
''Vijenac'' (English: '' The Wreath'') is a biweekly magazine for literature, art and science, established in December 1993 and published by ''Matica hrvatska'', the central national cultural institution in Croatia.
Historical background
The ...
''.
He was also the editor of the journal ''Lettre internationale'' and the magazine ''Cicero''.
For a number of years he edited a periodical of Croatian writers ''Most'' ("The Bridge").
He served as a president of Croatian
PEN
A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...
society in the period 1990–2000, organizing with his co-workers in 1993, in war-affected Dubrovnik, the 59th Word PEN Congress.
In 1998 he instituted Mediterranean Institute Grga Novak on the island of
Hvar
Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For'', el, Φάρος, Pharos, la, Pharia, it, Lesina) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately long,
wi ...
.
From 2001-2005 he taught South Slavic philology at the Department for Slavic studies of the
University of Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in New Haven, USA.
Since 2010, he teaches literature at the
Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb.
He edited several books on Croatian writers, authored many literary anthologies, and was the creator of multimedial projects, such as the theater shows ''Ecce homo''
and ''Kako bratja prodaše Jozefa'' at Dubrovnik Summer Festival in 1995.
He worked on a grand exhibition "Gundulićev san" ("
Gundulić's dream") in 1989 in the museum space of the city of
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
.
Notable works
Some of his notable published works are:
* ''Dubrovački eseji i zapisi'', 1975
* ''Teatar u Dubrovniku prije Marina Držića'', 1977
* ''Vučistrah i dubrovačka tragikomedija'', 1979
* ''Komparatističke zagonetke'', 1979
* ''Zašto se Euridika osvrnula'', 1981
* ''Planeta Držić'', 1984
* ''Dubrovnik iznova'', 1987.
* ''Kad su đavli voljeli hrvatski'', 1988
* ''Hrvatski pluskvamperfekt'', 1991
* ''Figure straha'', 1994
* ''Povijest hrvatske književnosti'' (three volumes), 1996, 1997, 1999
* ''Kratka povijest avanturizma'', 2001
* ''Zlatno doba'', 2002
* ''Povijest hrvatske književnosti'' 2003
Povijest hrvatske književnosti.I- IV, Zagreb, Slobodna Dalmacija i Marjan tisak,Split,2004.
Dubrovnik revisited,Zagreb,MTV,2004. 47.-49. Volite li Dubrovnik, Zagreb,VBZ,2005 (Hrvatsko, englesko i francusko izdanje)
Tragedije XVI. stoljeća.Zagreb,Matica hrvatska,2006.
Hvar.Mjesta-ljudi-sudbine. Zagreb,Matica hrvatska, 2006.
101 Dalmatinac i poneki Vlaj,Matica hrvatska,2007.
Vježbanje renesanse.Predavanja iz književnosti na Sveučilištu Yale.Algoritam, 2008.
Slaveni u renesansi, Matica hrvatska,Zagreb, 2009.
Leksikon Marina Držića.,I-II. Slobodan Prosperov Novak et alia , Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, Zagreb,2009.
Pričaj mi o Europi, Naklada Ljevak,Zagreb 2009.
101 Dalmatinka, Projekt Polis, Split, 2010.
Zločesti tekstovi, Profil, Zagreb, 2010.
Boka Kotorska od kampanela do kampanela, AGM , Zagreb,2011.
Knjiga o teatru, AGM, Zagreb,2014.
Književnost ranog novovjekovlja u Boki kotorskoj.S Viktorijom Franić Tomić, Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada, Zagreb,2014.
Abrahamova žrtva.S Viktorijom Franić Tomić.Matica hrvatska, Zagreb,2015.
Split.Monografija. S Ivom Pervanom.Lilliput Planet, Zagreb,2015.
Marin Držić,Izabrana djela,I-II, Stoljeća hrvatske književnosti, Zagreb,2011-2015.
Zlatna knjiga bokeljskih književnika.S Viktorijom Franić Tomić,Lilliput Planet,Zagreb,2016.
Vruja.Grad vode i vjetra. Splićanka d.o.o., Split,2016. (+ prijevod na engleski jezik i ruski jezik)
Pisac i vlast.Poetika Marina Držića, Školska knjiga, Zagreb,2017.
Povijest hrvatske književnosti.I- IV, Zagreb, Slobodna Dalmacija i Marjan tisak,Split,2004.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novak, Slobodan Prosperov
1951 births
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni
Living people
Croatian essayists
Croatian male writers
Male essayists
Croatian literary historians
People from Dubrovnik