Jozef Banáš (born 27 September 1948) is a Slovak

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, diplomat and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

Professional career

* 1972 - graduated at the University of Economics in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

with major in

foreign trade International trade is the exchange of Capital (economics), capital, goods, and Service (economics), services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countr ...

* 1973-1976 -

business consultant A business consultant (from Latin ''consultare'', "to discuss") is a professional who provides professional or expert advice or service in a particular area such as security ( electronic or physical), management, accountancy, law, human resource ...

at Chirana Export

Piešťany Piešťany (; , , , ) is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its Piešťany District, own district. It is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia and has around ...

* 1977-1992 -

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

* 1983-1988 - embassy in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, NDR, press attaché * 1990-1992 - embassy in

Wien Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

deputy chief of mission A deputy chief of mission (DCM, in Europe the term deputy head of mission – DHoM or DHM is used instead) is the number-two diplomat assigned to an embassy or other diplomatic mission. The deputy chief of mission is usually considered the second ...

* 1992 - Raiffeisenleasing Wien * 1993-1994 - Tatraleasing Bratislava,

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

* 1994-2001 - Slovak International Tabak, industrial politics management

Works

* 1978 – Nebráňme vtákom lietať (''Don't stop the birds from flying''), TV staging, scenario * 1979 – Čisté vody (''Clear waters''), TV staging * 1982 – Mimoriadny rýchlik (''Extraordinary express''), TV staging, scenario * 1983 – Kirchhoffov zákon (''Kirchoff's Law''), TV staging, scenario * 1985 – Začiatok sezóny (''Start of the season''), movie scenario * 1990 – Tréning na štátnika (''Training for statesman''), theatre comedy * 1996 – No Comment, theatre comedy * 2001 – Lepší ako včera (''Better than yesterday''), book of short stories * 2006 – Politicum tremens (co-author Bohumil Hanzel), humorous book about National Council of Slovakia * 2007 – Idioti v politike (''Idiots in politics''), satiric book about politics * 2007 – Delírium P. (''Delirium P.''), theatre comedy * 2008 – Zóna nadšenia (''Zone of enthusiasm''), political thriller * 2009 – Zastavte Dubčeka! (''Stop Dubček !''), novel * 2010 – Deň do večnosti (''A day to eternity''), poetry collection * 2010Kód 9 (''Code 9''), novel * 2011 – Sezóna potkanov (''Rat season''), novel * 2013 – Kód 1 (''Code 1''), novel * 2015 – Dementi (''Morons''), novel about Banáš's readers * 2020 - Nádherná Smrť v Altaji ("Amazing Death in Altay mountains"), novel Besides his literal ventures, he is known as a political journalist and essayist. His essays and thoughts gained international acclaim.

Political career

* 1976 - entered

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...

(KSČ) * 2001-2002 - general secretary of the ''Aliancia nového občana'' (ANO) party * 2002-2006 - elected deputy of National Council as ANO candidate. He was the vice-chairman of the Committee on European Integration; member of the Safety and Defence Committee and of the Permanent Delegation of the National Council of Slovakia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council and leader of the Permanent Delegation of the National Council at the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO. * 2003 - vice-chairman of The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe * 2004 - after he did not become the lead candidate for ANO in the European Parliament elections, he announced that he was leaving ANO and to become an independent deputy in the National Council * 2004 - joined the deputies club of The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union party (SDKÚ) * 2004 - joined SDKÚ * 11.11.2004 - elected in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

as a vice-chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, making him the first Slovak elected to this position

Personal life

He is married and has two daughters. His younger daughter, Adela Vinczeová, is a prominent moderator and entertainer in Slovakia. According to his daughter Adela, Banáš is a

lapsed Catholic A lapsed Catholic is a Catholic who is non-practicing. Such a person may still identify as a Catholic, and remains one according to Catholic canon law. Interpretations The ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' definition of "lapsed" in relation to "la ...

References

Slaboch aj veľký politik. Názory na symbol Pražskej jari sa líšia
(in Slovak)
Josef Banáš at the Berlin International Literature Festival 2010
1948 births Living people Writers from Bratislava Slovak journalists Diplomats from Bratislava Members of the National Council (Slovakia) 2002-2006 Politicians from Bratislava Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party politicians {{Slovakia-writer-stub