The Prešeren Award, the highest Slovenian honor for artistic achievement, was granted to Danilo Lokar in 1959 for his short story collection, Sodni dan na Vasi. This accolade marked a late-career recognition for a man who balanced a life between the rigorous demands of medical practice and the subjective intensity of expressionist literature.
Early Life and Medical Education
Born in 1892 in the town of Ajdovščina, then part of the County of Gorizia and Gradisca in Cisleithania, Lokar grew up in a family engaged in the tanning industry. After completing his studies at the Gorizia State Grammar School in 1910, he relocated to the University of Vienna to pursue medical training. He later returned to his birthplace alongside his wife, Jelka Špacapan, to begin his medical career.
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Lokar attempted to specialize in surgery while living in Zagreb, but health complications forced him to abandon that path. He redirected his focus toward creative writing, publishing his debut short story, The Dance, in the literary journal Sodobnost in 1933. His prose often drew inspiration from the people of the Vipava Valley, utilizing painting-influenced artistic elements and essayistic structures to convey an expressionist perspective.
War and Post-War Activity
During World War II, Italian Fascist authorities interned Lokar at the Medea concentration camp in the Friuli region. Following the Italian armistice, he joined partisan forces. After the conflict, he resumed medical work, which he continued until his 1951 retirement. He spent his remaining decades dedicated to literary pursuits before his death in Ljubljana in 1989.
Fast facts
- Born: 1892, Ajdovščina
- Died: 1989, Ljubljana
- Education: University of Vienna
- Primary Occupations: Physician, writer, partisan
- Notable Award: Prešeren Award (1959)
- Literary Style: Expressionism
- Citizenships held: Cisleithania, Kingdom of Italy, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Questions readers ask
Why did Danilo Lokar stop working as a surgeon?
He was forced to abandon surgery due to persistent poor health.
What was the significance of the 1959 Prešeren Award for Lokar?
It was the highest Slovenian prize for artistic achievement, awarded to him for his short story collection titled Doomsday in the Village.
