Michal Babinka

Michal Babinka was born in August 25, 1927 in Padina. Four grades of elementary school (1934-1938) finished in his birth town and four grades of lower grammar school (1938-1941) in Bački Petrovac and Pančevo (1941-1942).

In teacher’s school in Pančevo he studied in years 1942-1944 and 1946-1948. He was a teacher in Ostojićevo (1948-1951) and in Padina (1951-1952). In the years 1952-1954 he studied in the College of pedagogy in Novi Sad; one year he studied as a regular student and in the year after he continued to study remotely, already as a jurnalist (1953-1956) of the Novi Sad boradcast. In the years 1956-1958 he was a theater critique in Novi Sad newspaper Dnevnik. With pedagogical activity he continued in Padina (since April 1958), in Ilovača near Goražde in eastern Bosnia (1958-1960) and in Kisač (1960-1961). After that for two years he was free lance artist, and after that he worked as a journalist in magazine Hlas ľudu (Voice of people) in Bački Petrovac. After one more period of free lancing, in the year 1969 he got employment in the Publishing company Obzor where he was until his death a redactor of literary magazine Nový život (New Life). He died in July 14, 1974 in Sremska Kamenica.

He published these books – Godless years (1960), Spaces (1961), Delight of non returns (1964), Godless years, selection (Bratislava, 1966), Under step soil (1967), To meet encounters (1970), Sclerosis of swellings (1970), And it was the earth (1970, in to Serbo-Croatian language translated by Michal Harpáň), Unde se nasc ceţurile (selection of Víťazoslav Hronec, into Romanian language translated by Pavel Rozkoš and Anghel Dumbrăveanu). After the death were published these books of his: Under step soil, bibliophilia (Bratislava, 1976), Poems 1 (1979), Poems 2 (1981), Poems 3 (1989, editor Michal Harpáň) and Holiday of lakes, selection (Bratislava, 1999, editor Viliam Marčok). He published also several collections of children poems: On kite’s tail (1958), Alphabet jumps (1961), Hundred smiles and one tear (1962), In three dozens – story (Daruvar, 1962), Bell for a good morning (Bratislava, 1968).

After the death was published selection of poems for children Sweet clearance (1976, editor Juraj Tušiak) and selection of children poems in the Hungarian language translation Madárczeresnye, translated by Lázsló Koncsol). He wrote literary critique as well and children stories. About his poetic work Dr. Michal Harpáň wrote the books Poetry and poetics of Michal Babinka (1980) and Poems of Michal Babinka (1985, in Serbian language).

Three times he got Prize of Nový život (New Life) (1961, 1963, 1974), in the year 1967 he won the October prize of Novi Sad for the collection of poems Under step soil, and a year later also Prize of Obzor for that same book, in the year 1968 the Prize Neven for the book of children poems Bell for a good morning. He was a member of Association of Writers of Vojvodina.