Tadej Golob

Tadej Golob (b. 1967) is a unique Slovene author with a thematically broad range of works. In 2010 he won the Kresnik Award for best novel with his debut Svinjske nogice (Pig’s Feet). He is one of the authors of Z Everesta (From Everest, 2000), where he describes Davo Karničar’s ski descent from the highest mountain in the world, one he has also summited himself. He began his career in sports journalism but later became well-known for his interviews with famous Slovenes, which paved the way for several biographies (among them that of professional basketball player Goran Dragić). His 2013 novel Ali boma ye! describes the story of an amateur boxer facing the last fight of his career and an offer he can’t refuse. More recently, his series of crime novels featuring Inspector Taras Birsa, starting with the novel Jezero (The Lake), has become one of the most successful book series in Slovene. Each new volume tops the sales and library charts, and the bestselling novels have also been adapted for television, further popularising home-grown crime fiction in Slovenia. Through his unique approach to writing and a sensitivity for what readers enjoy, Golob has proved that Slovene literature can also reach a mass readership.