Ranko Marinković (22 February 1913 – 28 January 2001) 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 novelist and dramatist. Born in

Komiža Komiža () is a Croatian coastal town lying on the western coast of the Vis (island), island of Vis in the central part of the Adriatic Sea. Komiža is located at the foot of the Hum hill (587 m). Town has a Mediterranean climate. The economy i ...

on the island of Vis (then a part of

Austria-Hungary 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#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

), Marinković's childhood was marked by

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He later earned a degree in philosophy at the

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 ...

. In the 1930s, he began to make his name in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

literary circles with his plays and stories. His career was interrupted briefly 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 ...

. When his native island was occupied by

Fascist Italy Fascist Italy () is a term which is used in historiography to describe the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, when Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Th ...

, he was arrested in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

and interned in the Ferramonti camp. After the

capitulation of Italy The Armistice of Cassibile ( Italian: ''Armistizio di Cassibile'') was an armistice that was signed on 3 September 1943 by Italy and the Allies, marking the end of hostilities between Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was made public ...

, Marinković went to

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, and then to the

El Shatt The El Shatt was a complex of World War II refugee camps in the desert of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, established in early 1944. The region of Dalmatia (in today's modern Croatia, then Yugoslavia) was evacuated by the Allies of World War II, All ...

refugee camp where he made contacts with

Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

's Partisans. After the war, he spent time working in theatre. His best known works are ''Glorija'' (1955), a play in which he criticised the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, and ''Kiklop'' (1965), a semi-autobiographical novel in which he described the gloomy atmosphere among Zagreb intellectuals before the

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put fo ...

. ''Kiklop'' later was adapted into a 1982 movie directed by

Antun Vrdoljak Antun Vrdoljak (; born 5 June 1931) is a Croatian film actor and director, sports official, and head of Croatian Radiotelevision during the Yugoslav Wars. Between the 1960s and early 1990s he was mainly a film artist. In the early 1990s he became ...

. In a 2010 ''

Jutarnji list () is a Croatian daily newspaper based in Zagreb. It was published on 6 April 1998 by EPH (Europapress holding, owned by Ninoslav Pavić), which eventually changed its name in Hanza Media after being bought by Marijan Hanžeković. The newspap ...

'' poll conducted among 41 Croatian scholars, writers, and public figures, ''Kiklop'' was chosen as the all-time best Croatian novel. In the last years of his life Marinković embraced the political views of

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...

, and became a member of the

Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union (, , HDZ) is a major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. Since 2016, it has been the ruling political party in Croatia under the incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. It is one of the ...

. He died in

. __NOTOC__

Bibliography

Sources:

Collections of
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
s

*''Proze'' (1948)

roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

*''Ni braća ni rođaci'' (1949) either Brothers nor Cousins*''Oko božje'' (1949) he Eye of God*''Ruke'' (1953) ands*''Pod balkonima'' (1953) nder the Balconies*''Poniženje Sokrata'' (1959) he Humiliation of Socrates*''Karneval i druge pripovijetke'' (1962) he Carneval and Other Stories

Novels

*''Kiklop'' (1965) yclops*''Zajednička kupka'' (1980) Joint Bath*''Never more'' (1993) *''U znaku vage'' (1995) n the Sign of Libra

Dramas

*''Albatros'' (1939) lbatross*''Glorija'' (1956) *''Politeia'' (1977) *''Pustinja'' (1982) he Desert

Collections of critics and essays

*''Geste i grimase'' (1951) estures and Grimaces*''Nevesele oči klauna'' (1986) he Cheerless Eyes of a Clown

Awards

Vladimir Nazor Award The Vladimir Nazor Award () is a Croatian prize for arts and culture established in 1959, and awarded every year by the country's Ministry of Culture. Named after the writer Vladimir Nazor (1876–1949), the prize is awarded to Croatian artists ...

for Life Achievement (1975) * Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir (1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marinkovic, Ranko 1913 births 2001 deaths People from Vis (island) Croatian dramatists and playwrights Croatian male novelists Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Vladimir Nazor Award winners 20th-century Croatian novelists 20th-century dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Croatian male writers