Dr. Janez Drnovsek

Dr. Drnovšek (on the Internet)

Dr. Janez Drnovšek, was born on 17th May 1950 in Celje. He was raised in the small town of Kisovec in the municipality of Zagorje ob Savi. His father Victor Drnovšek was the local chief and his mother Silva was a housewife.

Drnovšek graduated at the University of Ljubljana with a degree in economics in 1973. At the same time he worked as an intern at a Le Havre bank. He worked as chief financial officer at SGP Beton Zagorje at the age of 25. Two years later he became economic adviser at the Yugoslav embassy in Cairo (Egypt). He defended his master's thesis in 1981, and in 1986, he defended his Ph.D. dissertation in 1986 at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Maribor.

In 1982, he became head of the local branch of Ljubljana Bank in his home region Zasavje. And four years later he was chosen to be a delegate at the Slovenian Republic Assembly (parliament) and also the Chamber of Republics and Provinces of the Yugoslav parliament.

Dr. Drnovšek with his son and daughter (on the Internet)

In 1999 doctors found cancer on one of his lungs, and they had to remove it. In December 2005 he confirmed that he had a son Jaša Drnovšek and a daughter, composer Nana Forte, who was born out of wedlock.

He had fought against lung cancer with alternative medicine till January 2004 and he gave up every various medical treatments, which raised the question about a politician’s responsibility to his own health. At last on 25th October 2007 when the new Oncology Institute in Ljubljana opened its doors, he said that oncologic medical treatment of cancer was the only successful way to heal.

presenting new book (On the Internet)

As I said before, dr. Drnovšek was a President. First of all he was 13th President of SFR Yugoslavia (President of the Presidency of SFR Yugoslavia) and then Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement. He was the second President of Slovenia and the 2nd and 4th Prime Minister before his first mandate. He had a broad education and was fluent in six languages, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian, English, Spanish, French and German.

After all fights against cancer, it defeated him. He passed away on 23th February 2008 aged 57 in Zaplana where he had spent much time during his last years.

He wrote few very essential books;

×POGOVORI (Conversations). Mladinska knjiga, 2007,

×BISTVO SVETA (Essence of the world). Mladinska knjiga, 2006,

×MISLI O ŽIVLJENJU IN ZAVEDANJU (Thoughts on life and awareness), Mladinska knjiga, 2006

× ESCAPE FROM HELL (published as e-book),

×EL LABERINTO DE LOS BALCANES, Edicciones B, 1999,

×MOJA RESNICA Jugoslavija 1989 - Slovenija 1991 (my truth),

His books were translated into several other languages.

In memory of Janez Drnovšek (On the Internet)

Dr. Janez Drnovšek was a really big stature in the history of our young country and I think that we have to be very proud of him.