Matej Bor

Matej Bor was the pen name of Vladimir Pavšič (14 April 1913 – 29 September 1993), who was a Slovene poet, translator, playwright, journalist and Partisan.

[2] After graduating in 1937, Bor did not get a proper job due to his communist activity but worked for a short while as a journalist in Maribor.

[3] When the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941, he escaped from Nazi-occupied Maribor to the Italian-occupied Province of Ljubljana.

One of them, Hey, Brigades, became the unofficial anthem of Slovene partisan forces during World War II.

He also voiced his support for the heritage protection movement which fought against the demolishing of historic buildings in Ljubljana (such as the Kozler's Palace).

None of the three men were linguists, and the theory was soon rejected by scholars, but launched a long controversy in which Bor played a prominent role.

The book was republished in several editions and was translated into the major European languages and contributed to Bor's popularity outside Yugoslavia.

He was a regular contributor to publications for children and teenagers such as Ciciban, Pionir, Pionirski list, Najdihojca (a supplement of the journal Delo), Mali Rod (Klagenfurt) and The Voice of Youth (Chicago).