Ivan Zorman

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Ivan Zorman (1885-1957) was a Slovenian poet and composer.

Ivan Zorman and his family immigrated to the United States when he was only four years old. Six years later, he returned to Yugoslavia for one year, and upon returning to the states, became culturally immersed and fluent in the Slovene language. He graduated from Western Reserve University with degrees in language, literature and music. He went on to teach organ, piano, and voice for Slovene societies while serving as an organist at St. Lawrence Catholic Church.

While Zorman’s poetry became successful in the states, it went largely unnoticed in his homeland of Yugoslavia. However, in 1933, his poems became more popular and he was acknowledged as a legitimate writer in the Slovene language. “In 1938, his 5th book of poetry, From the New World, received honorable mention in the Jugoslav University Club at the Hollenden Hotel. Zorman eventually wrote 6 volumes of poetry and translated many others.” In 1959, Zorman’s daughter, Carmen, dedicated a memorial bust in the Yugoslav Cultural Garden. (The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History)

Ivan Zorman contributed to the Cleveland Cultural Garden project through his translation of the Yugoslav Cultural Garden piece found in the book, Their Paths Are Peace by Clara Lederer.