France Forstnerič (29 January 1933 – 22 May 2007) was a Slovene poet, writer, and journalist. Forstnerič was born in Pobrežje near

Ptuj Ptuj (; , ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, eighth-largest town of Slovenia, located in the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Styria (northeastern Slovenia). It is the seat of the City Municipality of Ptuj, Municipality of Pt ...

in 1933. He trained as a teacher and taught for a number of years before becoming a journalist in 1958. He worked for the newspapers '' Večer'' and ''

Delo ''Delo'' () is a business oriented online media in Ukraine, belonging to ekonomika+ media holding. ''Delo'' was the first daily in Ukraine, publishing its real print circulation (13.000 - 15.000) and trying to introduce Western editorial and b ...

'' and also obtained a degree in sociology from the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...

in 1979. He wrote for adults and children. He is best known for his poetry that he started publishing in the early 1960s. In 1970 he won the

Levstik Award The Levstik Award () is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established by a Slovene publishin ...

for his book ''Srakač''. In 1972 he won the Prešeren Foundation Award for his collection of poems entitled ''Pijani kurent'' (The Drunken Kurent).Slovenian Ministry of Culture, complete list of Prešeren Foundation Award recipients

Published works

; Poetry collections * ''Zelena ječa'' (The Green Jail), 1961 * ''Dolgo poletje'' (The Long Summer), 1968 * ''Pijani kurent'' (The Drunken Kurent), 1971 * ''Pesniški list 32'' (The Poet's List 32), 1976 * ''Izbor Pesmi'' (Collected Poems), 1979 * ''Ljubstava'', 1981 * ''Drava življenja'' (The River Drava of Life), 1993 ; Prose * ''Jabolko'' (The Apple), 1979 * ''Brlog'' (The Den), short stories, 1987 ; For Young Readers * ''Srakač'', 1970 * ''Bela murva'' (The White Mulberry), poems, 1976

References

Slovenian male poets Slovenian children's writers 1933 births 2007 deaths Levstik Award laureates University of Ljubljana alumni 20th-century Slovenian poets People from the Municipality of Videm 20th-century Slovenian journalists {{slovenia-writer-stub