Radovan Ivšić (June 22, 1921 – December 25, 2009) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n writer, best known for his drama '' Kralj Gordogan'' and book of poems Crno. Ivšić spent his life uncompromisingly in the spirit of liberty. Such values brought him close to the surrealist movement. He was a friend of

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

and

Toyen Toyen (born Marie Čermínová; 21 September 1902 – 9 November 1980) was a Czech painter, drafter, and illustrator and a member of the surrealist movement. In 1923, the artist adopted the professional pseudonym Toyen. The name Toyen has be ...

and was one of the signers of the last Manifeste du surréalisme, 1955. His best-known statements are “Never give up your dreams” and paraphrase “We are our dreams”.Umro pjesnik i dramski pisac Radovan Ivšić – Najnovije vijesti – Moderna vremena Info
Mvinfo.hr. Retrieved on October 21, 2011.

Biography

He was a son of

Stjepan Ivšić Stjepan Ivšić (; 13 August 1884 – 14 January 1962) was a Croatian linguist, Slavicist, and accentologist. Biography Ivšić was born on 13 August 1884 in Orahovica. After finishing primary school in Orahovica, he attended secondary schoo ...

, a Croatian linguist, Slavist, accentologist, and Rector of

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

(1940–43). After Classical High School and graduation from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, in 1954 he relocated to Paris, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Controversy

The fascist prime minister of Croatia during World War II,

Ante Pavelić Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fasc ...

, personally ordered confiscation of Ivšić's first book, Narcis. His theatrical play Kralj Gordogan was banned in Croatia by both the fascist and communist dictatorships until 1979. Ivšić criticized cheap politics, communism, and false surrealism. He was a critic of

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry ('' The Ballads o ...

, often regarded as the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. Ivšić rejected all awards and medals.

Selected works

* Daha (drama), 1941 * Narcis (poem), 1942 * Kralj Gordogan (drama), 1943 * Kapetan Oliver (drama), 1944 * Vodnik pobjednik (drama), 1944 * Snjeguljica (drama), 1948 * Tanke (collection of poems), 1954 * Akvarij (drama), 1954 * Mavena (collection of poems), 1960 * Mavena (collection of poems), 1972 * Autour ou dedans (collection of poems), 1974 * Crno (collection of poems), 1974 * Bunar u kuli (collection of poems), 1974 * Aixaia ili Moći reći (drama), 1983 * Sunčani grad (drama)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivsic, Radovan 1921 births 2009 deaths Croatian dramatists and playwrights Surrealist dramatists and playwrights Croatian surrealist writers Croatian male poets 20th-century Croatian poets 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Croatian male writers