Open-Air Book Fair Opens in Ljubljana

Ljubljana, 18 April

The 10th annual Slovenian Book Days opened in Ljubljana's Zvezda park on Monday with a ceremony at which an award for best short story was conferred on Janez Kajzer for "Zaznamek za dosje" (File Note).

The SIT 250,000 (EUR 1,042) prize was conferred for the first time. The Association of Slovenian Writers (DSP) and the magazine Sodobnost decided to introduce an award for short story because this literary genre had not had a national award so far. The jury selected the winner among 205 entries.
Apart from book stalls at which publishers will be offering books at bargain prices, Slovenian Book Days will feature a number of events, such as daily readings, book launches and concerts until Friday.
One of the highlights will be a guest appearance by authors form Valencia, in Spain, where the idea for presenting books to friends as a gift was initiated. The first such book fair, marking the 379th anniversary of the birth of Miguel de Cervantes, was held there on 7 October 1926.
The opening ceremony was addressed by several key-note speakers, among them President Janez Drnovsek, Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, DSP president Vlado Zabot and Ljubljana Mayor Danica Simsic.
In his Slovenian Book Days message, the head of the festival, Evald Flisar, said that "one should stress on their 10th anniversary that the Slovenian Book Days are not only part of Slovenian cultural tradition, but a special event in itself."
While the festival's primary intention is to "strengthen spiritual values", it also brings "almost ritualistically" to one's attention "the significance of literature" for Slovenian nation, Flisar said.
"A person who is not well-read or is uncultivated has no desire for freedom. If they are given freedom, they cannot use it for good purpose. This is the reason why books are immensely more than just volumes of printed paper."
President Drnovsek, in his address, noted that "Slovenians still appreciate books...realising that consumerism and material commodities cannot fulfil ourselves".
Speaking about Slovenian literature within the EU, Drnovsek said that the Slovenian language would flourish only if Slovenians keep writing and reading Slovenian books.

Open-Air Book Fair Opens in Ljubljana

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