Tone Partljič Becomes an Honorary Citizen of The City of Maribor

This year, the title of Honorary Citizen of The City of Maribor was awarded to Tone Partljič - a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and comedian, and for many years an unmistakable organisational member of the Maribor Theatre Festival. According to the Municipal Commission for Awards, Partljič received the title "as a sign of gratitude and respect, for his life's work and merits achieved in the field of writing, literature, and for his activities in the field of social action, which contributed to the recognition and reputation of the City of Maribor at home and in the wider area".

Tone Partljič began his professional career as a teacher but soon continued his career in the theatre as a dramaturg (Drama of the Slovene National Theatre Maribor), an artistic director (Ljubljana City Theatre, Slovene National Theatre Drama in Ljubljana), and, above all, as a playwright. He is considered Slovenia's most successful comedian, and also writes fiction and children's literature. More than 20 of his works have been staged in Slovenian and other theatres. He has devoted most of his writing talent to comedy, but he is also a master of prose, with novels, shorter prose works, and collections of poems predominating. The jury also believes that his contribution to the development of Slovenian cinema, series, and films should not be forgotten, since he also worked as a screenwriter of important and acclaimed works, often based on his own plays.

Parallel to his writing is his social engagement: in the turbulent years between 1983 and 1987, he was president of the Slovene Writers' Association, one of the most prominent forums of civil society at the time. In the newly formed country, he served as a member of the National Assembly for almost a decade.

Maribor Theatre Festival
He has been associated with the Maribor Theatre Festival for more than forty years, from its beginnings in 1970, when he first served on the audience jury at the invitation of Branko Gombač, to becoming editor of the theatre journal and a member of the organising committee a year later, and then as a member of various bodies of the Maribor Theatre Festival - from the executive to the main committee, vice-president of the council, and from 2004 to 2010 as chairman of the festival council.

In 2016 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Prešeren Fund and before that the Grum Award, the Sterijeva Award, the Glazer Award, and the Ježek Award for Lifetime Achievement.

 The title of Honorary Citizen of The City of Maribor was conferred on Tone Partljič at a ceremony to mark the City of Maribor's City Day, which is celebrated on 20 October.

Dear Tone, congratulations!