Anton Hykisch

Born. 23.2.1932 in Slovakia. Writer, politician and diplomat. One of the the foremost writers of the „Generation 1956”, who, during the Communist period, published novels, short stories and essays dealing with every-day life and tried to restore for literature its ethical foundations. In 1959 all the copies of his first novel on university students were destroyed in the paper mill by the communist censorship authority. Among his later works are a love story of a young girl in Sixties Nada (1964), a generation-novel of a Socialist manager longing to travel into the free world Námestie v Mähringu (The square in Mähring, 1965). After the Soviet invasion to former Czecho-Slovakia in August 1968 Hykisch lost his job and some years he was under ban to publish anything. Later he turned to huge historical novels and he became very successful. Cas majstrov (Time of Masters, 1977) two volumes from medieval times, panoramatic picture of Reformation and Osman invasion to Central Europe, focused into figure of Master M.S. anonymous late Gothic painter. Milujte královnú (Adore the Queen, 1984) a biography of Empress Maria Theresa of the age of Enlightenment in Europe. Both novels were widely translated into Czech, Hungarian, Russian, German, Polish.

As a result of the fall of communism, he was elected as a deputy to the Slovak Parliament (1990) and appointed the first Ambassador of Slovakia to Canada (1993-1997). He published a study of globalisation Nebojme sa sveta. Sprievodca globálnym myslením (Let us not fear the world. A guide to global thinking, 2001, two books of essays and the book of memoires from the years in the Slovak Parliament Ako chutí politika (The taste of politics, 2004). Returning from diplomatic service he was a lecturer of political sciences and diplomacy at Trnavska University. He continued his literary activities. He wrote short stories, fantasies and SF inspired by Buddhism and cultures of ancient India and China. New novels: Spomen si na cára (Remember the Tsar, 2007) deals with the curious personality of Ferdinand Coburg of German origin, king of Bulgaria in the first decade of the 20th century, later living in exile in Slovakia. A concluding book is an autobiographical novel Rozkoše dávnych cias (Pleasures of yesteryear, 2009). This 460 pages book reveals in flashbacks destinies of young believer and his parents in crucial points of Slovak history: WW2, Stalinist regime, reform year 1968 and the fall of communism.:

Membership: Slovak PEN Centre (former president 2004-2006) Pan-European Union of Slovakia (vice-president), World Future Society (USA).

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          © Jan Gyllenhammar, all rights reserved. (rev 2011-02-03)