Aleš Debeljak

Aleš Debeljak was a writer of cultural criticism and poetry. He studied comparative literature and sociology, and taught cultural studies at the University of Ljubljana. He was an editor with the critical journal Nova revija, general editor of Literatura and member of social-liberal think-tank Forum 21, which was led by former Slovenian president Milan Kučan. His work is critical of postmodernism and advocates a revaluation of Enlightenment ideals. Many of his works have been translated, for instance Reluctant Modernity. The Institution of Art and its Historical Forms (1998) and The Hidden Handshake. National Identity and Europe in the Post Communist World (2004).