30 years since Dominik Tatarka’s death

On 10^th May, it's been 30 years since the death of significant Slovak writer Dominik Tatarka. First a supporter of communist ideas, he later became a critic of the 1950's Stalinist practices of the Communist party. He voiced openly his refusal of the invasion of Warsaw pact troops in 1968. He stopped his Communist party membership in 1969, was banned from publishing his books, his works were withdrawn from libraries and he was persecuted by the regime. In 1977, Dominik Tatarka was one of the few Slovaks who became signatories of Chart 77, the critical open letter by representatives of dissent in former Czechoslovakia criticizing the activities of the ruling Communist party. His books were translated into several foreign languages. In Memoriam, he was granted state orders by Slovak presidents. Annually, the Dominik Tatarka Award is handed over for a unique piece of literature meeting the humanitarian traditions of Slovak culture and thus continuing the message of Dominik Tatarka's work.