On March 21, declared World Poetry Day by UNESCO, poetry is in full swing in Ljubljana with a 24-hour-long reading of poetry.
The storytelling festival takes place in Cankarjev dom Cultural and Congress Centre and at other venues in Ljubljana and Slovenia. It is the central event of this kind in Slovenia.
The Vzkrik Festival of Drama Writing provides mentors for authors to develop their drama writing, and their resulting work is later presented in the form of reading performances, followed by discussions with the artists.
Fabula, organised by the publishing house Beletrina, is the largest and most important literary festival, not only in Ljubljana, but in the whole country, if not an even wider region.
Slovene Book Days is an all-Slovenian festival taking place in early spring in Ljubljana and partner towns.
Book Night is the largest event aimed at popularising reading and reading culture in Slovenia. The national and international project is based on voluntary work and self-organisation and has marked every night of April 23, the World Book Day, for several consecutive years.
On April 23, the World Book Day, Zvezda Park hosted a traditional book fair, which in the recent years has changed its location as well as timing in the scope of the Slovene Book Days.
Etc., a festival of socially engaged literature for young people, is conceived as a web of events, focused on a chosen collection of books, authors and topics. Every year, a wide team of high school pupils, students, experienced editors and other stakeholders in the field of literature strive to find new and fascinating approaches of presenting their books, authors and topics to the public.
The fair calls attention to the variety and high quality of Slovenian academic publishing, the latest achievements in science and interdisciplinary development direction in higher education, while it also strives to introduce academic books to a wider audience.
Library under the Treetops is a recognised and well-attended parade of free reading, browsing and enjoyment on different public spaces around the country, popular among all generations of Slovene and foreign visitors.
The one-day-long Children’s Book Festival is a day of books for children.
On the Bookstore Night, which has been taking place since 2014, bookstores keep their doors open long into the night, while the visitors can also enjoy a varied cultural programme and take advantage of special offers: for every book purchase they receive a book as a gift. The Bookstore Night includes bookstores from Ljubljana, with several bookstores from Koper, Celje and Maribor also taking part.
The Pranger Festival is a unique confrontation of critics and poets which strives to strengthen a cultured yet critical dialogue about literature, with the aim of safeguarding the dignity of art and a professionally balanced reception.
During its open day, the Ljubljana City Library organises day-long socialising activities in the Oton Župančič Library, with guided tours from morning to evening, as well as a variety of workshops for all generations, reading actions, bestowment of recognition awards to all participants of the Reading City project, literary and other plays and a closing concert.
This small, but charming and cherished international festival, blends literature with music.
At midsummer, the Cankar peak of Rožnik hill in Tivoli Park is transformed into a magical celebration of literature.
The Poletje na platnu in med platnicami (Summer on the Silver Screen and between the Book Covers) Festival focuses on the meeting point of film and literature and has taken place at the open-air cinema of the Slovenian Cinematheque at the Metelkova Museum Plaza since 2018.
The largest and the most recognisable international poetry festival in this part of Europe has been successfully bringing together poetic verse and promotion of Slovenian wines of the highest quality for twenty years.
The Vilenica International Literary Festival is a traditional meeting of poets, novelists, drama and essay writers from Central Europe, organised since 1986.
The Tinta Comics Festival brings together diverse authors from the Slovenian comics’ scene with the intention of popularisation of comics’ art, it presents the highest achievements and the diversity of contemporary Slovenian comics’ production, as well as project going beyond comics and entering the vivacious dialogue with simultaneous art.
The Ignor Festival connects literature, sound, visual arts and performance.
Since 1972, the fair has, in 35 editions, brought together more than a hundred publishers, tens of thousands of visitors, international guests, local and foreign authors, and schools.
The sales illustration fair brings together illustrations of the most prominent Slovenian authors across generations and artistic styles.
Writers from the cities of literature (that is, also Ljubljana) will be connected as residents with 10 organizations in Melbourne. There they will then have certain tasks, they will write something, attend a workshop, participate in a conversation and/or manage their social networks . A virtual resident receives A$2,000. The application deadline is August 28, 2022. More information and terms and conditions are available at: https://cityofliterature.com.au/virtual-writer-residence
A conversation about jazz and books with Miha Zadnikar, Ičo Vidmar and Gregor Podlogar offered some answers about what to read and why to read books about jazz at all. At the festival venue, we also set up a bookshelf with a selection of books to browse during the festival events, thereby inviting creators and visitors of the Ljubljana Jazz Festival to read. The accompanying literary program of the Ljubljana Jazz Festival is prepared by the office of Ljubljana, UNESCO City of Literature and in co-production with Cankarjev dom / Jazz festival Ljubljana.
The UNESCO Cities of Literature network also provides opportunities for networking and collaboration and this time Ljubljana had the honor of bringing authors to the book fair in Granada. For the first time in 14 years, Carlos Pascual spoke in his native language in front of an audience in Granada and read from his first three Slovenian books. In conversation with his translator Mojca Medvedšek, he presented the process of publishing and translating in Slovenia. An outstanding example of a writer who succeeded in a foreign country by writing in his mother tongue. Unfortunately, Alenka Zupančič could not attend the conversation with Jorge Alemán due to illness, but Jorge continued in front of the audience the conversation he started with Alenko Zupančič before the event about how the Lacanian school is a useful factor in critical reflection. In this, he emphasized the important role of the Ljubljana school, to which Alenka Zupančič, Slavoj Žižek and Mladen Dolar belong. An unforgettable event with Anja Zag Golob was a special rhythmic experience, her poetry first came to life in an excellent Spanish translation by Mojca Medvedšek and Carlos Pascual, which was read in Spanish by Carlos, then in Slovenian by Anja Z. Golob, all of which was rounded off by a conversation of the author with Erika, which was perfectly interpreted by Mojca Medvedšek. The visit was successful. Thanks to the entire team of Granada, a UNESCO City of Literature, with Jesus Ortega and Carmen Casares at the head, who took care that everything went smoothly and they did this with incredible happiness and devotion to literature. And life!
Ljubljana, Zvezda park SAT, April 23, 2022 The first live book fair after almost a year is coming under the plane trees in the center of the capital. The popular Air Fair will take place in Zvezda Park on World Book Day and Book Night. In cooperation with 50 publishers, we will set up tables with the best literature that Slovenian publishers can offer. On Saturday the fair will be illuminated with table lamps and will be open until 10 p.m. Part of the Fair in the air will also be the stage, on which literary events will take place. See you at the (f)air!
