Ban on Branko Hofman’s Novel or a Six-Year-Long Night Till the Late Morning

Abstract

Branko Hofman’s novel Night Till Morning was set for publication by Slovenska Matica in 1975. Had the communist authorities not intervened and imposed invisible censorship, this would have been the fi rst literary work in Yugoslavia addressing the authorities’ actions towards Cominformists and cruel methods applied in the prison camp on Goli Otok. However, after the novel had been printed by the print shop, the authorities stepped in and halted further activities. The leadership of Slovenska Matica prevented the destruction of the printed sheets, storing them in their premises. Six years later, in a signifi cantly changed political situation, the novel fi nally saw the light of day and became an instant success.