FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE DI VILENICA (Slovenia)

21st Vilenica International Literary Festival 6 - 10 September 2006

Vilenica 2006 organized by the Slovene Writers’ Association and the Cultural Society Vilenica, will be held from 6 to 10 September in Lipica, Hruševje, Vilenica, Štanjel, Ljubljana, Nova Gorica and Trieste while the Vilenica Pre-Opening Event will take place a day before the official opening, on 5 September in Ljubljana and Trieste.

Established authors from Central Europe and beyond will appear at the literary readings which will be accompanied by a rich programme and accompanying events including round-table discussions, symposium, and book presentations to name but a few. The climax of the festival will be the presentation of the Vilenica 2006 Prize. At the Štanjel literary matinée, the Crystal Vilenica award will be conferred on one of the authors featured in the Vilenica Almanac, while special attention will be given to the culture of the Porabje region in Hungary where a Slovene minority lives.

At Vilenica 2006, a new project will be launched. “Lesser-known literatures of Europe at Vilenica” is a project aimed at presenting those literary landscapes in Europe which have for various reasons remained in the shadow of bigger and better known traditions. This year, the focus will be on Basque literature. A range of events will be organised so as to bring home the rich literary production of the Basque country to the Slovene and international public. On this occasion, the Anthology of Contemporary Basque Literature as the first book of a new collection of the Slovene Writers’ Association entitled Vilenica Anthologies, will be published.

Alongside the anthology, many other publications will be published at the Vilenica 2006 festival.

At the 21st Vilenica International Literary Festival, the Central European Initiative, in collaboration with the Slovene Writers’ Association, will present the CEI Fellowship for Writers In Residence, a newly established award for young writers from non-EU CEI Member States. The CEI is also the sponsor of the major event of the expert programme of Vilenica 2006, the CEI Round-Table entitled “Who can hear one’s neighbour’s story?”

In 2006, Vilenica’s organizers, the Slovene Writers’ Association and the Cultural Society Vilenica, have signed a new statute of the Vilenica International Literary Festival which has replaced the first one from 1986.

Our special thanks go to all Vilenica 2006 sponsors who have contributed to the realization of Vilenica 2006, granting financial and material support.

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Programme:

Tuesday, 5 September 2006, at 20.00

9 p.m. Vilenica Pre-Opening Event with Bernardo Atxaga Moderator: Marjeta Drobnič Music: guitarists Alen and Dejan Mujkić Extracts of Bernardo Atxaga’s texts from Etzikoak: Anthology of Contemporary Basque Writing (Slovene Writers’ Association, Vilenica Anthologies) and The Son of an Accordium Player (Študentska založba, Beletrina) will be interpreted by actor Brane Šturbej. Ljubljana, Jazz Club Gajo In collaboration with Študentska založba.

8 p.m. Vilenica Pre-Opening Event: literary reading organised by the Vilenica Cultural Centre and the Primorska Writers’ Association Reading: Edelman Jurinčič, Vida Mokrin Pauer, Aleksij Pregarc, Ismet Bekrić, David Terčon Trieste

Wednesday, 6 September 2006

6 p.m. Opening of the 21st Vilenica International Literary Festival and presentation of the CEI Fellowship for Writers in Residence Vilenica participants will be welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Dimitrij Rupel. The CEI Fellowship winner will be announced by CEI Director General, Ambassador Harald Kreid. Moderator: Dražen Dragojević The opening ceremony will be followed by reception offered by the Ministy of Foreign Affairs Lipica, hotel Klub atrium In case of rain the event will take place in the Wedding Hall.

7.30 p.m. Literary reading Lipica, Valley of the Mother of God In case of rain the event will take place in the Wedding Hall.

Thursday, 7 September 2006 10 a.m. CEI Round Table at Vilenica: “Who Can Hear One’s Neighbour’s Story?” Moderator: Simona Škrabec Speakers: Csordás Gábor, Hungary Karl-Markus Gauß, Austria Tatjana Gromača, Croatia Idith Zertal, Israel Werner Wintersteiner, Austria Lipica, Maestoso Hotel, Allegra hall

3 p.m. The 4th International Comparative Literature Colloquium: “History and Its Literary Genres” (Part 1) The event will be chaired by Dr. Vanesa Matajc and Gašper Troha. Lipica, Wedding Hall

7 p.m. Literary readings Nova Gorica, France Bevk Public Library Hruševje by Postojna, St Daniel’s Church Lokev, St Michael’s Church

8 p.m. Outdoor party Lokev

Friday, 8 September 2006

9.30 The 4th International Comparative Literature Colloquium (Part 2) Lipica, Wedding Hall

11 a.m. Presentation of Books in Slovene Translation by the 2005 Vilenica Prize Winners in collaboration with Cankarjeva založba The poetry collection Črta čez vse (A Line Through Everything) by Ilma Rakusa and the book of essays Izumirajoči Evropejci (Endangered Europeans) by Karl-Markus Gauß will be presented by authors, translators Kajetan Kovič and Mira Miladinović-Zalaznik as well as authors of the foreword Vesna Kondrič Horvat and Drago Jančar. Ljubljana, Konzorcij Bookshop

3 p.m. Europe’s Lesser-Known Literatures at Vilenica: Contemporary Basque Writing Round Table: “To Write in Euskera, the Basque Language, Today and Tomorrow” Moderator: Marjeta Drobnič Keynote address: Alexandra Büchler, Great Britain Speakers: Rikardo Arregi, Spain (Basque Country) Mari Jose Olaziregi, Spain (Basque Country) Franco Juri, Slovenia Juan Ramon Makuso, Spain (Basque Country) The conversation will be in the Spanish language with simultaneous translations into English and Slovene. Ljubljana, Slovene Writers’ Association (SWA)

5 p.m. Literary Reading Ljubljana, Slovene Writers’ Association Summer Garden In case of rain, the event will take place at Jazz Club Gajo.

8 p.m. Reception by the Mayor of Ljubljana and presentation of Vilenica 2006 Prize Winner

Reading: Miodrag Pavlović, vilenica 2006, Serbia Yiorgos Chouliaras, Greece Breda Smolnikar, Slovenia Raphael Urweider, Switzerland Vilenica 2006 Prize Winner will be presented by Veno Taufer. Poems by Miodrag Pavlović in Slovene will be interpreted by actor Boris Ostan. Music: Mojca Zlobko, harp Moderator: Dražen Dragojević Ljubljana, Ljubljana castle

Saturday, 9 September 2006

Literary matinée at Štanjel castle

11 a.m. Literary Reading and presentation of Young Vilenica 2006 Award Winners Readings: Mojca Kumerdej, Slovenia Nora Iuga, Romania Lindita Arapi, Albania Ostap Slyvynsky, Ukraine Zdenko Kodrič, Slovenia Goce Smilevski, Macedonija

12 p.m. Presentation of the Culture of Porabje Region Vlado Kreslin: Music from Prekmurje Franci Just: Some historical and geographic features of Porabje Presentation of the first novel (by Francek Mukič) in the language of Porabje Feri Lainšček: Nikdar ne boš znala / You Will Never Know Opening of Between the Mura and the Raba, an exhibition of photographs by Jože Suhadolnik

1 p.m. Presentation of the Crystal Vilenica Award

Music: Vlado Kreslin Moderator: Dražen Dragojević

Grad Štanjel In case of rain, the events will take place in the Spacal Gallery in Štanjel.

7 p.m. Presentation of the 2006 Vilenica International Literary Prize A ballet and music performance inspired by Miodrag Pavlović’s poems will be carried out by ballet dancers Urša Vidmar, Dejan Srhoj, Eva Gašparič and Ana Hrastelj. The authors of the choreography are Maruša and Vojko Vidmar. The event will be moderated by Eva Longyka and Dražen Dragojević while Miodrag Pavlović’s poems in the Slovene translation will be interpreted by actor Boris Ostan. The script was prepared by Miljana Cunta.

Vilenica Cave

8 p.m. Closing Party Concert: Vlado Kreslin and the Beltinška banda in front of the Vilenica Cave

Sunday, 10 September 2006 Farewell breakfast and departure Lipica

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Participants

The Vilenica jury advised by the consultants selected renowned literati, but also editors, translators, publishers, cultural managers from Central European countries and beyond to take part in the 21st Vilenica International Literary Festival.

Authors Lindita Arapi, Albania Birgit-Müller Wieland, Austria Alhierd Bacharevič, Belarus Goran Samardžić, Bosnia and Herzegovina Ekaterina Yossifova, Bulgaria Michál Ajvaz, Czech Republic Tönnu Önnepalu, Estonia Tatjana Gromača, Croatia Claudio Pozzani, Italia Inga Abele, Latvia Daiva Čepauskaitė, Lithuania Szilárd Borbély, Hungary Venko Andonovski, Macedonia Terézia Mora, Germany Olga Tokarczuk, Poland Nora Iuga, Romania Márius Kopcsay, Slovak Republic Oto Horvat, Serbia Raphael Urweider, Switzerland Ostap Slyvynsky, Ukraine Iva Jevtić, Slovenia Miran Košuta, Slovenia Breda Smolnikar, Slovenia Zdenko Kodrič, Slovenia Marko Uršič, Slovenia Mojca Kumerdej, Slovenia Ervin Fritz, Slovenia

Anna Rogozhnikova, Kazakhstan Gabriel Rosenstock, Ireland Brian Henry, USA Yiorgos Chouliaras, Greece

The Basque literature Barnardo Atxaga Harkaitz Cano Miren Agur Meabe Rikardo Arregi Kirmen Uribe

Publishers, editors, translators, cultural managers and publishers Dulce Ma Zúñiga, director of the literay house Julio Cortazar, Mexico Bohdan Zadura, at Twórczość, Poland Geza Morcsany, editor at the Magvetõ, Hungary Lukacs Zsolt, translator, Hungary Damir Uzunović, writer and editor of the Buybook publishing house, BiH Maura Kennedy, programme director of the Cúirt Festival of Literature, Ireland Bistrica Mirkulovska, translator, Macedonija Eric Naulleau, editor, writer, France Antoine Choplin, director of the Festival de l’Arpenteur

CEI Round Table at Vilenica Simona Škrabec, moderator, Slovenia Csordás Gábor, Hungary Karl-Markus Gauß, Austria Tatjana Gromača, Croatia Werner Wintersteiner, Austria Idith Zertal, Israel

Round-Table Discussion on Basque Literature Marjeta Drobnič, moderator Alexandra Büchler, keynote address Juan Ramon Makuso Mari Jose Olaziregi Franco Juri Rikardo Arregi

Upon the publication of the Slovene translations of their books by the Cankarjeva Publishing House, Karl-Markus Gauß and Ilma Rakusa, Vilenica 2005 Prize Winners will again guests of Vilenica.

Comparative Literature Colloquium Beata Thomka, Hungary Bart Keunen, Belgium Lucia Boldrini, Great Britain Dušan Merc, Slovenia Marijan Dović, Slovenia Egon Pelikan, Slovenia Karl Stuhlpfarrer, Avstrija / Austria John Neubauer, The Netherlands Igor Škamperle, Slovenia Vanesa Matajc, Slovenia Gregor Pompe, Slovenia Gašper Troha, Slovenia

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The Vilenica 2006 International Literary Prize goes to:

Miodrag Pavlović.

Previous Vilenica Prize Winners: 2005 - Ilma Rakusa, Switzerland and Karl-Markus Gauß, Austria 2004 - Brigitte Kronauer, Germany 2003 - Mirko Kovač, Croatia 2002 - Ana Blandiana, Romania 2001 - Jaan Kaplinski, Estonia 2000 - Slavko Mihalić, Croatia 1999 - Erica Pedretti, Switzerland 1998 - Péter Nádas, Hungary 1997 - Pavel Vilikovsky, Slovak Republik 1996 - Adam Zagajewski, Poland 1995 - Adolf Muschg, Switzerland 1994 - Josip Osti, Bosnia and Hercegovina 1993 - Libuše Moníklová, Czech Republic, Germany 1992 - Milan Kundera, Czech Republic 1991 - Zbigniew Herbert, Poland 1990 - Tomas Venclova, Lithuania 1989 - Jan Skácel, Czech Republic 1988 - Peter Eszterházy, Hungary 1987 - Peter Handke, Austria 1986 - Fulvio Tomizza, Italia

X more info: http://www.vilenica.si