Juš Kozak (26 June 1892 – 29 August 1964), also known under the pseudonym Jalanov, was a Slovenian writer, playwright, and editor. He is best known for his autobiographic novels, such as ''Celica'' (The Cell) on his experience as a political prisoner, and ''Lesena žlica'' (The Wooden Spoon) on life during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Life

He was born in a wealthy middle-class family in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, Slovenia, then part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, and baptized ''Josef Paul Kozak''. His younger brothers Ferdo and Vlado Kozak became political activists. He studied history and geography at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

, but finished his studies only in 1921 at 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 1914, Kozak was arrested by the Austrian police because of alleged collaboration with the radical pro- Yugoslav nationalist youth organization '' Preporod'', which had ties with the militant

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

n organization

Young Bosnia Young Bosnia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Млада Босна, Mlada Bosna) refers to a loosely organised grouping of separatist and revolutionary cells active in the early 20th century, that sought to end the Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

, often considered to be terrorist. Immediately after release from prison, he was drafted into the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

and fought first on the Eastern Front and then in the Italian Front. After the war, he settled in Ljubljana, where he worked as a high school teacher. In 1935, he became the chief editor of the literary journal '' Ljubljanski zvon''. As editor, he opened the journal to

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

and Communist authors, who published their articles under pseudonyms. During

, he collaborated with the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People. In 1942, he was arrested by the

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

authorities of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

-occupied

Province of Ljubljana The Province of Ljubljana (, , ) was the central-southern area of Slovenia. In 1941, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy, and after 1943 occupied by Nazi Germany. Created on May 3, 1941, it was abolished on May 9, 1945, when the Slovene Parti ...

. After the Italian armistice, he joined the Partisan resistance. After the war, he dedicated himself to writing. Between 1946 and 1947, he was the chief editor of the literary journal ''Novi svet'' (New World). Between 1948 and 1955, he worked as the stage director of the Drama Theatre in Ljubljana. He died in Ljubljana.

Recognition

In 1961, he became a member of the

Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( (SAZU)) is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members of the academy. Cultural significance Establis ...

, and in 1963 he received the

Prešeren Award The Prešeren Award (), also called the Grand Prešeren Award (), is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia. It is awarded each year by the Prešeren Fund () to two eminent Slovene art ...

References

Biography
gore-ljudje.net
Biography
dogaja.se {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozak, Jus 1892 births 1964 deaths Members of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts Writers from Ljubljana Prešeren Award laureates Yugoslav Partisans members Theatre people from Ljubljana University of Ljubljana alumni University of Vienna alumni Dachau concentration camp survivors Ethnic Slovene people 20th-century Slovenian dramatists and playwrights