Ljuba Prenner | |
|---|---|
 Prenner in 1929 | |
| Born | Amalia Marija Uršula Prenner 19 June 1906 Fara, Carinthia, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 15 September 1977 (aged 71) Ljubljana, Socialist Republic of Slovenia, Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Occupation(s) | lawyer, writer |
| Years active | 1936–1975 |
Ljuba Prenner (19 June 1906 – 15 September 1977) was a Slovene lawyer and writer, active in the interwar period. Prenner was assigned female at birth, but from a young age identified as male and began to transition to a male appearance as a teenager.[Notes 1] Prenner's family were not well-off and moved often in his childhood, before settling in Slovenj Gradec. Because of a lack of funds, Prenner often worked and had to change schools. Despite these difficulties, he graduated from high school in 1930 and immediately entered law school at the University of King Alexander I. He began publishing about this time and earned a living by tutoring other students and selling his writing. He published several short stories and novels including the first Slovenian detective story.
Completing a doctorate in 1941, Prenner opened a law practice and earned a reputation for defending political prisoners and those accused of crimes against the state. Now living as a male, his combative manner in the courtroom and strong sense of judicial independence led to his being imprisoned several times by the communist regime. After being expelled from the Slovene Writers' Association, he was unable to publish until shortly before his death. Prenner was released from prison in 1950 and began a campaign to have his law license restored. From 1954, he was allowed to practice again and was known for rarely losing a case. He was asked in 1968 to give the speech for the Bar Association's centennial celebrations and in 1970 was appointed as the permanent German-language court interpreter for Slovenia.
Prenner died from breast cancer in 1977. Changes in social conventions and celebrations for the hundredth anniversary of his birth have led to a re-examination of his life in biographies and documentaries, as well as publication of some of his previously unpublished autobiographical novels.
- ^ Tratnik 2001, p. 375.
- ^ Greif 2014, p. 162.
- ^ Dolgan, Fridl & Volk 2014, pp. 162–164.
- ^ Fabjančič 2016, pp. 1, 88–89.
- ^ Pirnar 2003.
- ^ Ciglar 2011, p. 42.
- ^ Šelih 2007, pp. 436–437.
- ^ Darling 2018.
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