Some 40 international and 30 Slovenian writers are expected at the lakeside resort of Bled between 29 March and 2 April for a meeting organised by the Slovenian PEN. The authors are to focus on the role of PEN and literature in an increasingly globalised world.
Tone Persak, the president of the Slovenian PEN, announced on Monday that the 38th international PEN meeting will kick off on Thursday with a round table titled "Globalisation of the World - Marginalisation of Literature".
As mass culture is succumbing to the concept of universal consumerism, individual national literature is increasingly loosing ground. We are seeing a wave of literary fashion determined by best-sellers, which is degrading us to mere consumers or producers, Persak noted.
He added that this development also called for action from other international institutions, notably UNESCO and the UN in general.
While Thursday afternoon will be reserved for a reflection on the role of PEN in the modern world, Friday's debate will revolve around the title "Freedom of Expression as a Means against Terrorism".
In Persak's view, the roots of terrorism lay in prejudice and misunderstanding, which could be abolished through dialogue. "PEN does not have tanks or money, but it can speak," he said.
Persak mentioned the Portuguese author Casimir de Brito and Greek Anastassis Vistonitis as two distinguished foreign guests, but also pointed to a presentation of the Croatian poet Sibila Petlevski.
In a year which also marks 80 years of the Slovenian PEN's existence, the meeting is to be held a little earlier than usually as the International PEN congress, hosted by Berlin, is scheduled for May already.
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