Anton Trstenjak
D.Sc. Anton Trstenjak (1906 - 1996) - Slovene psychologist - a pioneer of Slovenian clinical psychology, theologian, and author.
Life and Work
Two important milestones of Prof. Dr. Anton Trstenjak – 8th January 1906 and 29th September 1996 – are symbols of his fruitful life: he was born in the beginning of the new year at the beginning of the century and he died in the autumn at the end of the century. His life path started in the village Radmošci, where he attended primary school (1912 – 1918). After primary school he attended high school (1918 – 1926) and studied theology (1926 – 1927) in Maribor, and studied at the Innsbruck University (1927 – 1933), where he obtained two PhDs of philosophy (1929) and theology (1933). His ordination was in 1931. After short term work as a vicar, he became a popular professor of catechism at the high school in Maribor (1934 – 1939) and assistant professor of philosophy at the School for theology in Maribor (1939) in the meantime shortly broadening his knowledge in Paris. From 1940 onwards he lived in Ljubljana, where he spent one fourth of his life as a professor at the Theological Faculty (1940 – 1973). He spent one fouth of his life as a fully employed pensioner, in the third period of his life he published almost two thirds of his more than 100 books. During the war, he specialised in experimental psychology in Milan. All his life he was connected with scientific and cultural trends in the world. In the post-war period he received two invitations for professorship in Milan (1945) and in Graz (1955), but he refused them, because he wanted to work for the Slovenian nation. He received numerous scientific, state, civil and church awards, two honorary doctorates at the University of Ljubljana and the University of Maribor, golden doctorate at the University of Innsbruck. He was also a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (since 1979). He lived almost half the century (1947 – 1996) in a rented apartment at the Lapajne family at Resljeva 7 in Ljubljana. In regard to the last years of his life the last book of his most successful book collection on life wisdom psychology in entitled ‘‘You die, to live again’’. Ten years after his death we can see his comprehensive work having a permanent importance for the Slovenian nation, science, psychology, psychotherapy, philosophy, culture and good human relations.