Background
Strniša was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to his father Gustav Strniša (1887–1970), himself a young adult fiction writer, and mother Alojzija, as their fourth child.
Strniša was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to his father Gustav Strniša (1887–1970), himself a young adult fiction writer, and mother Alojzija, as their fourth child.
He is considered as one of the most important Slovene language poet of the second half of the 20th century. He spent most of his life away from public light, and has gained widespread recognition only after his death. He went on to study languages at the University of Ljubljana where he got his diploma in 1961 after studying the German and English languages.
During his study he also attended classes in ancient languages and learned Hebrew, and the basics of Sumerian and Akkadian.
Strniša was known for never having moved from his native Ljubljana, except for a few short trips across Yugoslavia. In 1985, he was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to the United States, but decided to stay in Slovenia.
In 1963, he met the young poet Svetlana Makarovič, with whom he had a short romantic relationship. In 1970 he met Thea Skinder.
He died in Ljubljana in 1987, and was buried in the Žale Central cemetery.