World Book Capital Ljubljana 2010

Nobel award-winner Herta Müller in Ljubljana for World Book Capital 2010.jpg

Since 2001 UNESCO has been nominating cities to be the annual World Book Capital City and the city of Ljubljana is already the tenth. Ljubljana, World Book Capital 2010 will be launched on 23 April with a spectacle (an encounter of science, art and philosophy through the book) at Križanke, directed by Matjaž Berger. Throughout the following year, 300 events will transform the Slovene capital into a lively and cosmopolitan city. As one of the biggest events the World Literatures – Fabula 2010 Festival offers nearly a month of cultural and literary events in May 2010 including a reading from Nobel Prize laureate Herta Müller. The World Book Summit, organised by the Chamber of Publishing, Bookselling, Graphic Industry, Radio and TV Media, will conclude Ljubljana's prestigious year-long title.

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Programme

The activities during the World Book Capital year involve several different projects aimed at increasing readership, developing a culture of reading, improving access to books and literature, and promoting the richness of literary genres and world literature.

The Book and the City

Traditional and innovative literary events (reading corners, public readings ...) will encourage the citizens of Ljubljana to change their habits and read more. Thus, readings will take place in locations such as hospitals, refugee centres, senior citizens' homes and other unconventional spots.

Ljubljana Reads/Growing up with Books

In the frame of the Ljubljana Reads/Growing up with Books project every pupil will receive a book by a Slovene author as a gift. Three books have been selected, based on the age population of the students, by the authors Anja Štefan, Matjaž Schmidt, and Slavko Pregl.

World Book Summit 2011

Until March 2011 the Ljubljana Urban Municipality will work on the Ljubljana Resolution on the Book, proposing to UNESCO the improved measures for the public funding of books. The resolution will be presented at the World Book Summit Books as Promoters of Human Development (held from 31 March to 1 April 2011). The summit will address the challenges of digitisation for the publishing industry and the issues related to translating from the world's minor to major languages.

Books for Everyone

This project involves 21 selected titles that have been supported by the Ljubljana Urban Municipality and the Slovenian Book Agency with a print run of 8,000 copies and available for purchase for as little as 3 EUR per copy. Among some of the capital's most ambitious publishing projects will be the works of Slovene authors Boris Pahor, Svetlana Makarovič, and Slavoj Žižek, one of the best and most notorious yet perhaps not widely read or understood Slovene theorists, as well as internationally renowned authors such as Richard Flanagan, Jonathan Franzen, David Grossman, and Herta Müller.

Pogledi [Views] Newspaper

The World Book Capital in Ljubljana will be accompanied by a newly-established bimonthly cultural newspaper Pogledi published by Delo Publishing House. It is the leading (and, in fact, the only) print media in Slovenia dedicated to arts and culture. Its planned print run is 60,000, to be distributed as a free supplement to the main Slovene daily Delo Newspaper till Autumn. In the future Pogledi is expected to become a self-sustained cultural newspaper.

Trubar House of Literature

Within the capital framework a new venue is due to open in September 2010 in the very centre of the city. Trubar House of Literature will serve as a cultural and intellectual centre with a book club, exhibiting space and information point.

External links

General information on the World Book Capital on the Municipality of Ljubljana website
World Book Capital City on UNESCO website
The nomination of Ljubljana for the World Book Capital City, official information on the UNESCO web site
Candidature of Ljubljana for the UNESCO title (pdf, March 2008)

Gallery

Israeli author David Grossman during World Book Capital Ljubljana 2010 in May 2010

Gašper Troha & Sebastijan Pregelj's Ljubljana Literary Trail book cover, 2010

NiccolÃ² Ammaniti's Jaz in ti [You and Me] book cover, 2010

Authors City, Daniel Kehlmann: Vienna. In honour of the visiting author the World Literatures - Fabula Festival introduces the culture of the his home city Vienna, 2010

Literary event with American author Jonathan Franzen at Cankarjev dom during World Literatures - Fabula Festival, 2010

Herta Müller, 2009 Nobel Laureate is honoured guest at the opening ceremony of the festival World Literatures - Fabula Festival, Slovene National Theatre Drama Ljubljana in 2010

Portraits of authors by Ljubljanica river by Borut Kranjc, World Literatures - Fabula Festival, 2010

Prešeren's Coat, by Andreja Brulc, art installation using passages from the poet's longest poem Krst pri Savici[Baptism at Savica] on a new robe dressing Prešeren's monument, World Literatures - Fabula Festival, 2010

Comparative essay topics, a seminar about the Secondary School Graduation Essay led by Professor Nada Barbarič at Cankarjev dom, World Literatures - Fabula Festival, 2010

One of several pleasantly shady open air reading spots created for The Library Under the Trees project, World Literatures - Fabula Festival, 2010

World Literatures - Fabula Festival poster, 2011

Nobel award-winner Herta Müller in Ljubljana for World Book Capital 2010.jpg

Literary Talk with Boris Pahor, Trubar Literature House in Ljubljana

Presentation of the World Book Capital Ljubljana 2010 presentation at UNESCO in Paris. Irina Bokova, UNESCO Secretary General, and Dr Janez Šumrada, Slovenian representative at UNESCO.

Presentation of the World Book Capital Ljubljana 2010, presentation at UNESCO in Paris. Irina Bokova, UNESCO Secretary General, and Dr Janez Šumrada, Slovenian representative at UNESCO.

Official ceremony at UNESCO Palace in Paris, presentation of the Ljubljana World Book Capital 2010 programme. Irina Bokova, UNESCO Secreatary General, and Dr Janez Šumrada, Slovenian respresentative at UNESCO.