Summer Highlights from the Slovenian Book Agency

Here’s What’s New:

• Spotlight on International Awards for Slovenian Authors
• Spotlight on Literary Awards in Slovenia
• Slovenian Literature in Asymptote
• 16th Seminar for Translators from Slovenian
• Introducing: Database of Translators from Slovenian
• Lavrin Diploma for Promotion of Slovenian literature
• Autumn Book Fairs
• Research Report “Books in Translation ”

Spotlight on International Awards for Slovenian Authors

Exciting news from Italy, Czechia, and the UK!

Majda Koren’s picture book Skuhaj mi pravljico (Cook Me Up a Fairytale), illustrated by Agata Dudek, has received the Premio Letterario Bullerby, Libri al Vento. The award is especially meaningful because young readers play a central role in the process: they read the books, discuss them, and help select their favourite stories. Majda Koren is one of the most loved children’s authors and the Italian edition, translated by Martina Clerici and published by Sinnos editrice last year, is the sixth translation of this picture books.

The Czech translation of Figa (The Fig Tree) by Goran Vojnović, translated by Aleš Kozár and published last year by Meridione, has been nominated for the prestigious Josef Jungmann Award for best literary translation into Czech. The novel has already received numerous accolades both at home and abroad, including the Kresnik Award for best Slovenian novel of the year in 2017, and has so far been translated into almost twenty languages.

Vinko Möderndorfer's young adult novel Kit na plaži (Whale on the Beach), translated into Italian by Lucia Gaja Scuteri and published as Una balena in spiaggia by Besa Muci, has been shortlisted for the Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi in the category of books for readers aged 11 to 13. Established in 2016 as an offshoot of the prestigious Premio Strega, Italy's most important literary prize, the Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi aims to promote reading among young people and foster a love of literature among younger generations.

Moje kraljestvo umira (My Kingdom is Dying) by Evald Flisar, one of Slovenia’s most widely translated writers and playwrights, translated into English by David Limon and published by Istros Books, was named runner-up for this year’s Tadeusz Bradecki Prize. Created in honour of the late Tadeusz Bradecki, international theatre director, actor and writer, the prize is awarded annually to a book that combines fiction and nonfiction in an original and compelling way.

Spotlight on Literary Awards in Slovenia

Spring and early summer are the seasons of literary awards in Slovenia.

Yesterday, on Midsummer’s Eve, when the Kresnik Award, the most prestigious Slovenian literary award, is traditionally presented, Ajda Bračič received this year’s prize for best Slovenian novel of the year for Kresničevje, published by LUD Literatura. From a longlist of ten novels unveiled on World Book Day, the jury narrowed the selection to five finalists before announcing its final decision yesterday evening.

Kresničevje also received the 15th Kritiško sito Award for best book of the year, presented by the Slovenian Literary Critics’ Association. This is Bračič’s second book and her second Kritiško sito Award. She received the first one in 2022 for her debut short-story collection Leteči ljudje (Flying People).

Poet, writer, and composer Nina Dragičević has received this year’s Cankar Award for best original literary work for her hybrid work Nemogoče (Beletrina), a blend of essay, fiction, archival material and poetic interventions, in which she explores the systematic erasure of female composers from collective memory. The Cankar Award recognises works in any of the literary forms cultivated by Ivan Cankar – a towering figure of Slovenian literature, whose 150th anniversary of birth is commemorated this year – including poetry, novels, drama, short fiction, and essays.

Mateja Gomboc has been awarded the Desetnica Award for her young adult novel Preveč zvezd (Too Many Stars), published by Miš Publishing. The prize, presented by the Slovene Writers’ Association, recognises the best work of children’s and young adult fiction, celebrating outstanding works that reflect the richness and relevance of literature for younger readers

Slovenian Literature in Asymptote

The spring issue of Asymptote includes a Special Feature on Slovenian Literature, arranged in partnership with the Slovenian Book Agency. The magazine’s editorial board selected texts by eight authors, and the issue also features illustrations by Slovenian guest artist Matija Medved.

The special issue features English translations of excerpts from Tuja mehkoba by Natalija Milovanović (Foreign Softness, translated by Lukas Debeljak), TOXIC by Eva Mahkovic (TOXIC, translated by Olivia Hellewell), Površinska napetost by Tomo Podstenšek (Surface Tension, translated by Jason Blake), Ogenj by Aleš Šteger (Fire, translated by Jason Blake), Zvezdna karta by Dušan Šarotar (Star Chart, translated by Rawley Grau), Materinska knjižica by Katja Gorečan (Maternity Booklet, translated by Martha Kosir), Draga prevajalka, dragi prevajalec by Jana Putrle Srdić (Dear Translator, translated by Lukas Debeljak) and Sanje v drugem jeziku Brane Mozetič (Dreams in Another Language, translated by Rawley Grau and Barbara Jurša).

Asymptote is an international online literary magazine dedicated to showcasing world literature in translation. It introduces underrepresented voices to English-speaking readers while serving as a platform for translators.

16th Seminar for Translators from Slovenian

We’re pleased to announce the participants of this year’s translation seminar. The seminar will take place between 17 and 21 August in Ljubljana and Maribor. For the sixteenth year running, it will offer a comprehensive introduction to contemporary Slovenian literature and provide opportunities to connect with authors, critics, publishers, lecturers, and other professionals working in the field of books and translation.

This year’s participants are Pablo Arraigada (Argentina), Jelena Dedeić (Serbia), Zuzana Finger (Germany), Māra Gredzena (Latvia), Mirta Jurilj (Croatia), Nataliya Khoroz (Ukraine), Gabija Kiaušaitė (Lithuania), Lilija Mrzlikar (Bulgaria), Davor Stojanoski (North Macedonia), Nikodem Szczygłowski (Poland), Kristina Tamulevičiūtė (Lithuania), and Yuchen Wang (China).

During the seminar, the translators will work on three books:

* Simona Hamer’s Cimra / Roommate (Cankarjeva založba, 2025), a heady story of desire marked by a lucid, captivating, and socially engaged female voice;

* Andrej E. Skubic’s Lahko bi umrl na tem kavču z mano / You Could Die On This Couch with Me (Mladinska knjiga, 2024), the first young adult novel by the multi-award-winning author Andrej E. Skubic; and

* Ana Svetel’s Steklene stene / Glass Walls (Beletrina, 2024), a short-story collection that became one of the most critically acclaimed books in Slovenia in 2025.

Introducing: Database of Translators from Slovenian

We are excited to announce a new feature on our website: a database of translators from Slovenian. The database provides contact information for translators of Slovenian literature and serves as a resource for those seeking information on currently active literary translators. Designed to make it easier for publishers, editors and rights professionals to find and connect with translators working across specific literary fields, the database can be searched and filtered by language and genre.

The database complements our existing database of translations from Slovenian and the directory of Slovenian publishers.

Translators who are not yet included but would like to be can send us their name and contact details to be added to the database.

Lavrin Diploma for Promotion of Slovenian literature

The Slovenian Association of Literary Translators (DSKP) has honoured Hungarian translator Judit Reiman with the 2026 Lavrin Diploma, an annual award presented by DSKP in recognition of exceptional achievements in translation and commitment to championing Slovenian literature beyond its borders.

As stated in the award citation, Judit Reiman is an exceptional and versatile mediator of Slovenian culture in Hungary. Through her wide-ranging activities across numerous fields, her profound understanding of diverse cultural currents and codes, her deep knowledge of the structural particularities of both languages, and her familiarity with cultural references, her dedication to translation over the past forty years has gone far beyond the bounds of mere professional commitment.

Named in honour of Janko Lavrin (1887–1986), a distinguished translator, literary historian and essayist, the award has been presented annually since 2003. The list of previous recipients is available here.

Autumn Book Fairs

We’re busy putting the finishing touches on our programmes featuring Slovenian authors at the Frankfurt and Vienna Book Fairs. In Frankfurt, you’ll find us at a new location this year: Hall 3.1, C35. In Vienna, we will once again join forces with Traduki, of which we have been proud members since our very beginning, and exhibit alongside them.

We would be delighted to meet with you at either fair. To arrange a meeting, please get in touch with Katja Urbanija at katja.urbanija@jakrs.si or Petra Kavčič at petra.kavcic@jakrs.si.

Research Report ”Books in Translation”

ThinkPub, a 12-partner initiative developing a digital library of learning materials to facilitate professional innovation training in the European book industry, has published a new report in response to the discontinuation of UNESCO’s Index Translationum. Authored by Miha Kovač, Professor of Publishing Studies at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), book market researcher Rüdiger Wischenbart (Austria), cultural manager and researcher Yana Genova (Bulgaria), and Anja Kamenarič, PhD researcher at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Books in Translation: Trends and Transformations in the European Publishing Market offers a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of book translations across Europe, examining how literary works move between languages, markets, and cultures.

For book industry professionals, the findings offer strategic insight into how translation choices relate to market size, rights costs, and catalogue development. For policymakers and cultural institutions, the report provides an evidence-based foundation for assessing existing support schemes and shaping future policy.

Click here to download the full report.