Ivan Zorman

Who was Ivan Zorman?

Ivan Zorman was a Slovene poet and composer.

Ivan Zorman's family emigrated from Yugoslavia to the USA when he was four years old. After returning to Yugoslavia for one year, when he was ten years old, Zorman immersed himself in the study of the Slovene language and culture. 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 USA, 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.”

Ivan Zorman contributed to the Cleveland Cultural Gardens project through his translation of the Yugoslav Cultural Garden piece found in the book, Their Paths Are Peace by Clara Lederer. In 1959, Zorman’s daughter, Carmen, dedicated a memorial bust to her father in Gardens.