The beginnings of Jančar's literary creativity reach back into the early 70s. Initially a voice of "high modernity", Jančar made the transition to historical novelisation with his 1978 novel Galjot. Though still faithful to the modernist style of description, the undertone and subject matter of his works edged increasingly closer to existential literature, especially in terms of creating an atmosphere of general absurdity. He drew nearer to post-modernism in the 80s, but only in style, topping it off by introducing post-modernist metafiction in his 1994 novel Mocking Desire.

In line with the notion that theatre is the most direct means of addressing an audience, Jančar's dramas have always been morally, socially and politically critical. This is definitely true of his The Great Brilliant Waltz (1984), which is in many ways reminiscent of Ken Kesey's critically acclaimed One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest, which was made into a Hollywood movie. Jančar has also made it to the big screen, as Headnoise, a portrayal of a prison uprising led by the charismatic protagonist Keber, was recently brought to the cinemas by director Andrej Košak.

He has so far received a number of literary awards in Slovenia, including the Prešeren Award for literature, three Grum Awards for drama, two Rožanc Awards for essays and two Kersnik Awards for novels, and abroad, most notably the European Award for short prose. The ever-expanding list of awards is about to receive another addition, as he has won the Herder Award, which is conferred by the Alfred Töpfer Fund from Hamburg. The Herder Prize is conferred for extraordinary contributions to nourishing and promoting cultural ties in Eastern and Central Europe, which are also important additions to European culture. Alongside five other laureates, Jančar will receive the EUR 15,000 award on May 9 at the Vienna University. STA