Aerial view of the National and University Library designed by Joze Plecnik, Ljubljana, Slovenia
The Slovenian Book Fair has been organized every November since 1993 by the Association of Book Publishers and is the country’s oldest, largest and most important book-oriented event with more than 100 exhibitors and at least 300 accompanying events. The six-day fair features the most recent book publications, renowned writers and illustrators and discussions about life-changing books, which are presented on open stages and in the halls of Cankarjev dom Culture and Congress Centre.
The Balkan Anarchist Bookfair (BAB) is a common project of the anarchist and anti-authoritarian movement in the Balkans. While the local organization team is responsible for facilitating this process and arranging the infrastructure, it is the participants coming from all around the world and their contributions that are the key element of the gathering. On all levels, BAB is organized in accordance with anarchist principles of anti-authoritarian self-organization and solidarity. As well as stalls with books and experts, there are open spaces for various gatherings, workshops and discussions throughout July.
The Vilenica International Literary Festival, a gathering of poets, prose writers, dramatists and essayists, is organized by the Slovene Writers’ Association in collaboration with the Cultural Centre Vilenica from Sežana. The festival takes place every September in Lipica and at other venues in Slovenia. Since the first international festival Vilenica in 1986, the climax of the event has been the presentation of the Vilenica International Literary Prize, which is awarded by the Slovene Writers’ Association to a Central European author for outstanding achievements in the fields of literature and essay writing.
The Blue Bird Award has been bestowed biennially by Mladinska knjiga Group since 2012 to the best unpublished literary work. Every other year, a competition for Slovenian writers focuses on a specific literary genre, such as novels for adults or young adults. The laureate receives around 12,000 EUR and support with the publication of the awarded work.
The Best Short Story Award was introduced by the Slovene Writers’ Association and the Sodobnost International Cultural Society in recognition of what was felt to be an under-appreciated literary genre. It was established in 2005 and is presented annually at the Slovene Book Days. The winning short story receives a prize of 1000 EUR and is published in Sodobnost Magazine, along with several other shortlisted works.
The Slovenian Union of America is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Slovenian heritage. Writing has played an essential role in sustaining the Slovenian culture and communities. The SUA Slovenian Literary Award was established in 2019 to honor those who continue this tradition. The award is open to unpublished as well as published authors.
Since 2008, the Embassy of Spain in Slovenia has given out the biennial EsAsi Award for the best Slovenian language translation from Spanish, endowed with 3000 EUR. Apart from the EsAsi award for professional translators, there is also an EsAsi Award for young translators, endowed with 1000 EUR. The awards aim to recognize the work of translators and promote knowledge and appreciation of Spanish literature among Slovene readers.
The Fabjan Hafner Translation Award was named after the translator, poet and literary scholar Fabjan Hafner and established in 2017 by the Goethe-Institute Ljubljanain in cooperation with the Musil Institute in Klagenfurt in Austria and the Literary Colloquium Berlin. The award honors translations from Slovenian into German and vice versa, and includes a one-month fellowship at the Literary Colloquium Berlin. The prize is endowed with 4000 EUR.
Sovretova Nagrada is a Slovene literary translation prize, awarded by the Slovene Association of Literary Translators for particularly successful literary translations into Slovenian. Named after the classical philologist and translator Anton Sovre, the prize was first awarded in 1963, making it the oldest of five awards offered by the Association of Slovenian Literary Translators. The association also maintains a list of translators whose works have been nominated.
Ljubljana, a UNESCO City of Literature since 2015, offers two one-month residencies for writers at the Švicarija/Swisshouse Creative Centre, which is part of the International Centre of Graphic Arts. The residency is aimed at foreign published writers with a traceable connection to any of the other UNESCO Cities of Literature. Applicants must have published at least one book of fiction in their language. Each resident will receive a stipend and travel expenses, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of public programs, studio facilities, and collaboration offers at the Creative Center.
