Boris A . Novak

Boris A. Novak (1953, Slovenia) is a poet, playwright, essayist, translator, and author of children’s literature. He is Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, where he taught Comparative Literature and Literary Theory for 25 years. During the wars in former Yugoslavia, he organized aid for refugees and writers from besieged Sarajevo. He has published 100 books, 30 of which in foreign languages. His poetry spans from odes to elegies, from war trauma (Mojster nespečnosti / The Master of Insomnia) to love lyrics (Alba), ballads (Obredi slovesa / Rites of Valediction), and the epic trilogy Vrata nepovrata (The Doors of No Return, 2014–17). His most recent work explores protest poetry (Svoboda je glagol / Freedom is a Verb). He received the Prešeren Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018.