Minister of Culture

Dr Vasko Simoniti

Vasko Simoniti was born on 23 March 1951 in Ljubljana. He holds a PhD in history and is a full professor of the history of the modern age at the Ljubljana University Faculty of Arts. He is the author of numerous scholarly and specialist works on the history of the early modern age. His papers and essays have also dealt with the position of the historian in relation to history, and the problems of Slovene historiography. In recent years he has also turned his attention to the history of Slovenia in the 20th century, with considerable success. One of his recent books is entitled Fanfare nasilja ŠFanfares of ViolenceĆ (Ljubljana, 2003).

His most recent book, co-written with Peter Štih and published in Zagreb, is entitled Slovenska povjest do prosvetiteljstva ŠSlovene History up to the EnlightenmentĆ (Zagreb, 2004).

In recent years he has also taken part in public political life. He headed the campaign team of a presidential candidate at the 2002 elections. In 2003 he was one of the people behind the civil initiative "Something Needs to be Done" and a member of the main pro-Nato committee. In 2004 he has been a member of the presidency of the Assembly for the Republic organisation and a member of the Technical Council of the SDS, responsible for culture.