Alexander Boldizar
Encyclopedia
Alexander Boldizar is a writer, lawyer and art critic. He was the first post-independence Slovak citizen to graduate with a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School
. His writing has won a PEN prize (PEN/Nob Hill), represented Bread Loaf Writer's Conference as a nominee for the Best New American Voices anthology, and received various other awards.
, Czechoslovakia
, in 1971, Boldizar's family escaped to Austria via Yugoslavia in 1979. After six months in a refugee camp at Traiskirchen
, Austria, Canada granted the family asylum. Boldizar became a Canadian citizen in 1983. He attended Merivale High School
in Ottawa, where he was captain of the rugby team, followed by McGill University
, from which he graduated in 1994 with the Brian Coughlan prize for highest GPA in the economics department. He also won the 1993 McGill Open Beer Mile championship.
Boldizar went on to study law at Harvard Law School
, starting in the class of 1998 but finishing in the class of 1999 due to a year of absence during which he went to the Sahara (Niger, Africa) with a paleontological expedition for the Discovery Channel/National Geographic.
Although Boldizar had renounced his Czechoslovak citizenship in 1989 so that he could attend the anticommunist demonstrations as a noncitizen (during which he was almost arrested anyway), President Rudolf Schuster
of Slovakia revived Boldizar's citizenship by special presidential order in 1999, making him the first Slovak citizen to graduate with a JD from Harvard. Boldizar's grandfather, Vojtech Zahorsky, was recently awarded the Kosice Prize (i.e., "keys to the city") for his contributions as a partisan during WWII and his service as the head of the Slovak Veteran's Association.
Boldizar currently lives in Vancouver
, BC, Canada. He won first place in his division at the British Columbia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in both 2010 and 2011, and a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Championships.
, before leaving law in order to write. He has been an art gallery director in Indonesia, a "host" in a hostess bar
in Japan, a hermit in Tennessee, a paleontologists' guide in the Sahara
, a porter on Bylot Island
in the Canadian High Arctic, a speechwriter for the police-oversight Civilian Complaint Review Board
in New York City, and an editor of the first pan-Asian art magazine.
He has published over eighty articles in fiction venues like Transition Magazine
, Fiction International
, Chicago Quarterly Review, Literary Imagination, and Phantasmagoria, nonfiction venues like Harper's Bazaar
, The Globe and Mail
, Shambhala Sun
, Liberty Magazine
, C-Arts Magazine, and Harvard Law Record
, and legal venues like the European Journal of International Law and Golden Gate Law Review. He is now an editor of C-Arts Magazine, a contemporary art magazine published out of Singapore, for which he has interviewed artists like Damien Hirst
and Ashley Bickerton
.
He has one novel, titled The Ugly, about Muzhduk the Ugli the Fourth, a member of a lost tribe of boulder-throwing Slovaks living in the mountains of Siberia whose land is stolen by American lawyers. He is sent on a quest to Harvard Law School to learn how to defeat the lawyers.
The Harvard Law Record
published a profile of Boldizar's career in March 2010. He has also been profiled on Allie Bates
' Novelspot and on Slovak Spectrum television.
, Hrabal
, Borges, Laurence Sterne
, and some of Calvino, eschewing the psychologism and domestic realism of most contemporary American fiction. He writes in English, but with traditionally East European traces of absurdism and surrealism, though he balances these with an "airport novel
" style of complex plot-driven narrative.
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. His writing has won a PEN prize (PEN/Nob Hill), represented Bread Loaf Writer's Conference as a nominee for the Best New American Voices anthology, and received various other awards.
Life
Born in KošiceKošice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, in 1971, Boldizar's family escaped to Austria via Yugoslavia in 1979. After six months in a refugee camp at Traiskirchen
Traiskirchen
Traiskirchen is a town in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria. It is 20 km south of Vienna and located in the famous Thermenlinie region of Lower Austria known for its wine and heurigers...
, Austria, Canada granted the family asylum. Boldizar became a Canadian citizen in 1983. He attended Merivale High School
Merivale High School
Merivale High School is a secondary school, located at the intersection of Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive in Nepean, Ontario, Canada. The school is known for its gifted student program, but also runs French Immersion programs and extensive visual art, music, and co-operative education...
in Ottawa, where he was captain of the rugby team, followed by McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, from which he graduated in 1994 with the Brian Coughlan prize for highest GPA in the economics department. He also won the 1993 McGill Open Beer Mile championship.
Boldizar went on to study law at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, starting in the class of 1998 but finishing in the class of 1999 due to a year of absence during which he went to the Sahara (Niger, Africa) with a paleontological expedition for the Discovery Channel/National Geographic.
Although Boldizar had renounced his Czechoslovak citizenship in 1989 so that he could attend the anticommunist demonstrations as a noncitizen (during which he was almost arrested anyway), President Rudolf Schuster
Rudolf Schuster
Rudolf Schuster was the second President of Slovakia . He was elected on 29 May 1999 and inaugurated on 15 June. Schuster was defeated in the presidential elections of April 2004, in which he ran as an independent...
of Slovakia revived Boldizar's citizenship by special presidential order in 1999, making him the first Slovak citizen to graduate with a JD from Harvard. Boldizar's grandfather, Vojtech Zahorsky, was recently awarded the Kosice Prize (i.e., "keys to the city") for his contributions as a partisan during WWII and his service as the head of the Slovak Veteran's Association.
Boldizar currently lives in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, BC, Canada. He won first place in his division at the British Columbia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in both 2010 and 2011, and a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Championships.
Career
Boldizar worked briefly as an attorney at the San Francisco and Prague offices of Baker & McKenzieBaker & McKenzie
Baker & McKenzie is an international law firm, founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. It is home to more than 3,800 lawyers spread over 70 offices in 42 different countries....
, before leaving law in order to write. He has been an art gallery director in Indonesia, a "host" in a hostess bar
Hostess bar
Hostess clubs are a common feature in the night-time entertainment industry of Japan, east Asian countries and other areas with a high east Asian population. They employ primarily female staff and cater to males seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The more recent host clubs are similar...
in Japan, a hermit in Tennessee, a paleontologists' guide in the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, a porter on Bylot Island
Bylot Island
Bylot Island lies off the northern end of Baffin Island in Nunavut Territory, Canada. At it is ranked 71st largest island in the world and Canada's 17th largest island. It is also one of the largest uninhabited islands in the world. While there are no permanent settlements on this Canadian Arctic...
in the Canadian High Arctic, a speechwriter for the police-oversight Civilian Complaint Review Board
Civilian Complaint Review Board
The Civilian Complaint Review Board is an all-civilian board tasked with investigating civil complaints about alleged misconduct on the part of the New York Police Department.- History :...
in New York City, and an editor of the first pan-Asian art magazine.
He has published over eighty articles in fiction venues like Transition Magazine
Transition Magazine
Transition Magazine , founded by Rajat Neogy , a Ugandan of Indian ancestry, was published from 1961 to 1976 on the African continent and was revived in 1991 in the United States. Born in Africa and bred in the Diaspora, Transition is a unique forum for the freshest, most compelling, most curious...
, Fiction International
Fiction International
Fiction International is a literary magazine devoted to innovative forms of fiction and non-fiction which addresses progressive political ideals. Founded in New York by Joe David Bellamyin 1973, the magazine moved to San Diego State University in 1983, where it has been "edited by Harold Jaffe and...
, Chicago Quarterly Review, Literary Imagination, and Phantasmagoria, nonfiction venues like Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Shambhala Sun
Shambhala Sun
The Shambhala Sun is an independent, bimonthly magazine that offers a nonsectarian view of 'Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life.' Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplative traditions, with an emphasis on applying the principles of mindfulness and awareness practices to...
, Liberty Magazine
Liberty Magazine
Liberty is a magazine published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church that covers issues involving separation of church and state, and current events in politics...
, C-Arts Magazine, and Harvard Law Record
Harvard Law Record
The Harvard Law Record is an independent, biweekly student-edited newspaper based at Harvard Law School. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest law school newspaper in the United States.-Characteristics:...
, and legal venues like the European Journal of International Law and Golden Gate Law Review. He is now an editor of C-Arts Magazine, a contemporary art magazine published out of Singapore, for which he has interviewed artists like Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
and Ashley Bickerton
Ashley Bickerton
Ashley Bickerton is a contemporary artist living in Bali. A mixed-media artist, Bickerton often combines both photographic and painterly elements with industrial and found object assemblages...
.
He has one novel, titled The Ugly, about Muzhduk the Ugli the Fourth, a member of a lost tribe of boulder-throwing Slovaks living in the mountains of Siberia whose land is stolen by American lawyers. He is sent on a quest to Harvard Law School to learn how to defeat the lawyers.
The Harvard Law Record
Harvard Law Record
The Harvard Law Record is an independent, biweekly student-edited newspaper based at Harvard Law School. Founded in 1946, it is the oldest law school newspaper in the United States.-Characteristics:...
published a profile of Boldizar's career in March 2010. He has also been profiled on Allie Bates
Allie Bates
Allie Bates is an American award-winning short story writer who has also written Romance and Science Fiction novels and screenplays. She is also an English teacher and freelance editor.-Biography:...
' Novelspot and on Slovak Spectrum television.
Style
Although his writing style is clean, almost minimalist, Boldizar tends towards "idea fiction" in the heritage of Kafka, MusilMusil
Musil is a Czech surname which may refer to:in music:* Bartolo Musil , an Austrian young musician, singer and composer* Erich Musil , German tenor singer...
, Hrabal
Hrabal
Hrabal * Bohumil Hrabal, the most famous Hrabal* Jaroslav Hrabal* Josef Hrabal* Ladislav Hrabal* 4112 Hrabal...
, Borges, Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne was an Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy; but he also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics...
, and some of Calvino, eschewing the psychologism and domestic realism of most contemporary American fiction. He writes in English, but with traditionally East European traces of absurdism and surrealism, though he balances these with an "airport novel
Airport novel
Airport novels represent a literary genre that is not so much defined by its plot or cast of stock characters, as much as it is by the social function it serves...
" style of complex plot-driven narrative.
External links
- http://boldizar.com
- http://c-artsmag.com
- http://www.othercriteria.com/blog/2009/09/21/alexander-boldizar-and-damien-hirst-in-conversation/
- http://www.hlrecord.org/arts-culture/alexander-boldizar-from-law-school-to-novelist-and-art-critic-1.1266491