Memoirism Hype
Why do Slovenian Diplomats Write Memoirs?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/an.53.1-2.153-166Keywords:
diplomatic memoirs, Slovenian diplomacy, (semi-)literary genres, linguistic capacityAbstract
Literary theory puts memoirs on the intersection between literary and semi-literary genres, which makes them specific by definition. But when we talk about memoirs of diplomats, they are even more specific, as they are often the only source describing events that took place in diplomatic intercourse. This article analyses the significance of writing memoirs as seen by diplomats through interviews with ten Slovenian diplomats. The interviewees agree that memoirs need to be written, not only to shed light on events that took place in diplomacy, but also because they can be important literary works and contribute to the spread of diplomatic terminology.
Downloads
References
Arbeiter, Jana. “Symbolic importance of diplomatic protocol: common heritage and order of precedence of seven countries of former Yugoslavia”. Revista românæa de ştiinţe politice, Vol. 19, No. 3 (2019): 157–174.
Avsenik Nabergoj, Irena. Literarne vrste in zvrsti: stari Izrael, grško-rimska antika in Evropa. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, 2011.
Bonutti, Karl. Med izbiro in zgodovino: Spomini goriškega Slovenca. Gorica: Goriška Mohorjeva, 2015.
Buchanan, George. My mission to Russia and other diplomatic memories. London: Cassell and Co., 1923.
Egerton, George. “Politics and Autobiography: Political Memoir as Polygenre”. Biography, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Summer 1992): 221–242.
Given, Lisa (ed.). The Sage Encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Los Angeles: Sage, 2008.
Interview with interviewee A. Ljubljana, 12 April 2020.
Interview with interviewee B. Ljubljana, 10 April 2020.
Interview with interviewee C. Ljubljana, 10 April 2020.
Interview with interviewee D. Ljubljana, 9 April 2020.
Interview with interviewee E. Ljubljana, 22 April 2020.
Interview with interviewee F. Ljubljana, 2 May 2020.
Interview with interviewee G. Ljubljana, 14 May 2020.
Interview with interviewee H. Ljubljana, 14 May 2020.
Interview with interviewee I. Ljubljana, 21 May 2020.
Interview with interviewee J. Ljubljana, 21 May 2020.
Javor Briški, Marija. “Wegbeschreibungen in Reiseberichten des Mittelalters und der Frühen Neuzeit”. Ars & humanitas, Vol. 12, No. 1 (2018): 204–223.
Jurić Pahor, Marija. “Narativnost spominjanja: vpogledi v avto/biografsko usmerjeno raziskovanje in v govorico ekstremne travme”. In: Alenka Koron and Andrej Leben (eds): Avtobiografski diskurz. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, 2011. 161–175.
Juvan, Marko. “Avtobiografija in kočljivost zvrstnih opredelitev: Moje življenje med tekstom in žanrom”. Slavistična revija, Vol. 57, No. 2 (2009): 311–320.
Kmecl, Matjaž. Mala literarna teorija. Ljubljana: Mihelač in Nešović, 1996.
Koron, Alenka. “Avtobiografija in naratologija: sodobne pripovednoteoretske kategorije v raziskavah avtobiografskih pripovedi”. Jezik in slovstvo, Vol. 53, No. 3/4 (2008): 7–21.
Koron, Alenka and Andrej Leben. Avtobiografski diskurz: Teorija in praksa avtobiografije v literarni vedi, humanistiki in družboslovju. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, 2011.
Kos, Janko. Literarna teorija. Ljubljana: DZS, 2001.
Kralj, Lado. “Dnevnik in pismo kot modela slovenske kratke proze med vojnama”. Slavistična revija, Vol. 54, No. 2 (2006): 205–220.
Lekić, Bogdan “Spominsko gradivo in spominska literatura kot zgodovinski vir”. Arhivi, Vol. 13, No. 1–2 (1990): 101–105.
Maček, Amalija. “Literary translators as interpreters, moderators or even writers”. Acta Neophilologica, Vol. 52, No. 1/2 (2019): 117–125.
Marcus, Laura. “Literatura, identiteta in avtobiografski diskurz”. Primerjalna književnost, Vol. 15, No. 1 (1992): 31–41.
Maver, Igor. “Sir Richard Francis Burton reconsidered and his travels to Slovenian lands”. Acta neophilologica, Vol. 51, No. 1/2 (2018): 17–23.
Maver, Igor. “Jože Žohar: a forgotten Slovenian migrant poetic voice from ‘down under’”. Acta neophilologica, Vol. 52, No. 1/2 (2019): 47–57.
Perenič, Urška. “Dnevnik kot literarnozgodovinski vir: Tagebuch 1844 Louise Crobath”. Slavistična revija, Vol. 67, No. 3 (2019): 425–439.
Petrič, Ernest. Presentation of the book Spomini in spoznanja: diplomat, pravnik, politik. Ljubljana: Faculty of Social Sciences, 23 April 2019.
Rodd, James Rennell. Social and Diplomatic Memories (1922–1925). London: Edward Arnold & Co., 1922.
Schulze, Winfried. Ego-Dokumente: Annäherung an den Menschen in der Geschichte. Berlin: Akademischer Verlag, 1996. Available at: https://www.degruyter.com/view/book/9783050047997/10.1524/9783050047997.11.xml / (accessed 23 May 2020).
Schwegel, Josef. Spomini in pisma / Erinnerungen und Briefe. Klagenfurt: Mohorjeva družba, 2007.
de Talleyrand, Maurice. Mémoires du prince de Talleyrand. France: Calmann Lévy, 1891.
Trupej, Janko. “Ideological Influences on the Reception of Mark Twain among Slovenians across the Atlantic”. Acta Neophilologica, Vol. 52, No. 1/2 (2019): 141–152.
Verginella, Marta. “Zgodovinopisna raba avtobiografskih virov in značilnosti ženskega avtobiografskega pisanja”. In: Alenka Koron and Andrej Leben (eds): Avtobiografski diskurz, 95–109. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU, 2011.
Žigon, Tanja. “Translation or Adaptation: A Case Study of Jakob Alešovec (1842–1901)”. Acta Neophilologica, Vol. 50, No. 1/2 (2017): 153–171.
Žigon, Tanja, and Boštjan Udovič. “Med literaturo, spomini in znanstvenim delom: primer monografije Dimitrija Rupla Slovenija na svetovnem prizorišču”. Jezik in slovstvo, Vol. 62, No. 4 (2017): 81–96.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Boštjan Udovič

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors are confirming that they are the authors of the submitting article, which will be published (print and online) in journal Acta Neophilologica by Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia). Author’s name will be evident in the article in journal. All decisions regarding layout and distribution of the work are in hands of the publisher.
- Authors guarantee that the work is their own original creation and does not infringe any statutory or common-law copyright or any proprietary right of any third party. In case of claims by third parties, authors commit their self to defend the interests of the publisher, and shall cover any potential costs.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.