Miroslav Válek (July 17, 1927 – January 27, 1991) was a Slovak poet, publicist and politician.

Biography

Miroslav Válek was born in

Trnava Trnava (, , ; , also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of the Trnava Region and the Trnava District. It is the seat o ...

and from 1947 to 1949 he studied at Vysoká škola obchodná in Bratislava. During the years 1949–1963 he worked as an editor for magazines ('' Slovenský roľník'', ''

Týždeň ''Týždeň'' (, stylized as ''.týždeň'') is a weekly Slovak news magazine based in Bratislava, Slovakia. History ''Týždeň'' was first issued in December 2004. Published weekly by W Press S.A., the magazine focuses on topics relating to ...

'', '' Družstevný obzor''), finally becoming general editor of '' Mladá tvorba''. In 1962 he joined the

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 ...

. In the years 1966–1967 he was general editor of the magazine '' Romboid'' and also the secretary of Zväz slovenských spisovateľov, later (1967–1968) serving as its president. Válek was politically active and became high ranking party official. As a result of

Constitutional Act on the Czechoslovak Federation The Constitutional Act on the Czechoslovak Federation (, ) was a constitutional law in Czechoslovakia adopted on 27 October 1968 and in force from 1 January 1969 to 1 January 1993. It converted the previously unitary Czechoslovak state into a fe ...

, the Ministry of Culture of Slovakia was established in 1969, with Miroslav Válek as its minister, position he held until 1988. In 1971 he became a member of party central committee, position he retained until 1986. When in March 25,1988

Candle demonstration in Bratislava The Candle demonstration () on 25 March 1988 in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, was the first mass demonstration since 1969 against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The demonstration was organized by Roman Catholic dissent groups ask ...

had been smashed by authorities, Válek was noticed among party overseers of put-down, reporting on it at party meeting. He died 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. ...

Writing career

Miroslav Válek established himself with modernist poetic expression. Through the devices of avant-garde poetics he analysed the situation of modern man and was sceptical of his activity where he intervened in the way the world went.

Books of poetry

*1959 - ''Dotyky (Touches)'' *1961 - ''Príťažlivosť (Attraction)'' *1963 - ''Nepokoj (Unrest)'' *1965 - ''Milovanie v husej koži (Lovemaking in Goose Skin)'' *1973 - ''Súvislosti (Contexts)'' *1976 - ''Slovo (Word)'' *1977 - ''Z vody (From Water)'' *1977 - ''Zakázaná láska (Forbbiden Love)'' *1983 - ''Básne (Verses)'' (collected edition)

English translations

*1996 - ''Ground Beneath Our Feet'' *2015 - ''Collection of Poems: Miroslav Válek

Legacy

Regarded as acclaimed Slovak language poet, Miroslav Válek remains highly controversial figure due his political activities. Some of Válek's poetry pieces were set on music, most notably ''Jesenná láska'' (The Autumn Love) recorded by

Miroslav Žbirka Miroslav "Miro" Žbirka (21 October 1952 – 10 November 2021) was a Slovak pop and rock singer and songwriter, widely popular in 1980s Czechoslovakia. Born in Bratislava to a Slovak father and an English mother, he sang in Slovak, English, and ...

and ''Smutná ranná električka'' (Sad Morning Tram) recorded by

Pavol Hammel Pavol Hammel (born 7 December 1948, in Bratislava) is a Slovak musician, singer and producer. Pavol Hammel was born to a family of musicians. His father played violin in the Slovak National Theatre, and influenced Pavol to become a promising vi ...

and

Marián Varga Marián Varga (29 January 1947 – 9 August 2017) was a Slovak musician, composer and Organ (music), organist. In the context of Czech-Slovak musical culture of the second half of the 20th century, Varga was a significant figure in the field of au ...

References

External links

*https://www.litcentrum.sk/en/author/miroslav-valek *Miroslav Válek at visegradliterature.nethttps://www.visegradliterature.net/works/sk-all/V%C3%A1lek%2C_Miroslav-1927 *https://fphil.uniba.sk/uploads/media/Pripad_Miroslav_Valek.pdf 1927 births 1991 deaths Slovak poets Politicians from Trnava 20th-century Slovak poets {{Slovakia-writer-stub