Faculty: Tomaz Salamun

Considered Slovenia's greatest living poet, Tomaz Salamun (pronounced Toh-MAH-sh  SAH-la-mahn) attracted critical notice with his first collection, Poker, which was published when he was only twenty-five. Salamun was born in Zagreb in 1941 and is considered one of the foremost figures of the Eastern European poetical avant-garde. He is revered by many American poets for his unique surrealistic style. His books have been translated in nineteen languages and nine of his thirty-seven books of poetry have been published in English, the most recent ones are The Book for My Brother (Harcourt, 2006, translated by Christopher Merrill and others); Poker (Ugly Duckling Press, 2003, 2008, translated by Joshua Beckman); Row (ARCpublications, 2006, translated by Joshua Beckman); and Woods and Chalices (Harcourt, 2008, translated by Brian Henry). His There's the Hand and There's the Arid Chair, translated by Thomas Kane and others, has recently been released by Counterpath Press. A new book of poetry, entitled Blue Tower, translated by Michael Biggins, is due out by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2011.

In 1964, as editor of a literary magazine "Perspektive," he was threatened to be jailed for twelve years , but due to fast world media reaction, he was released before the process started. He has a degree in Art History from the University of Ljubljana. Poetry, says Salamun, came to him as a revelation, dropping, “like stones from the sky.” Publishers Weekly writes, "Salamun has become an influence, and a mentor, for plenty of young American poets. One reason lies in Salamun's postmodern mix of giddy and global with the earthy retrospect he takes from his homeland . . . . [He] makes his new collection a whirlwind tour of sites and moods . . . . ” Salamun's first visit to the US was in July 1970, when he was personally invited to exhibit his work at the MOMA in the famous Information Show.

Salamun's many prizes include the Preseren Prize, the Jenko Prize, a Pushcart Prize, the European Prize for Poetry by German town Münster in 2007, and 2009's "The Golden Wreath" from Struga Poetry Evenings in Macedonia. He also received the 2003 Altamarea prize in Trieste, Italy and the Festival Prize at Costanza, Romania in 2004. He is a member of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Art. He occasionally teaches in the US, where he was also a Fulbright Fellow at Columbia University, a member of International Writing Program at Iowa, and a Cultural Attaché at the Consulate General of Slovenia in New York. In spring 2008 he was appointed as Visiting Professor in Creative Writing and Distinguished Writer in Residence by the University of Richmond. His next teaching position in the US will be the Spring Semester 2011 at the Michener's Center MFA in Austin, Texas. He lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia.