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Vilenica International Literary Festival
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 Seľana. The festival takes place
annually in Lipica and at other venues in Slovenia.
Since the first international festival Vilenica in1986, the climax
of the event has been the presentation of the
Vilenica
International Literary Prize, awarded by the Slovene Writers'
Association in accordance with its statute to a Central European
author for outstanding achievements in the field of literature and
essay writing.
The Prize Winner is selected by the Vilenica jury, while the
official presentation takes place in the impressive atmosphere of
a Karst cave which gave the name to both the prize and the
festival. Along with the grand Vilenica Prize, another award is
presented within the festival, the Crystal Vilenica. The youngest
of all Vilenica prizes is the Young Vilenica awarded by the
Cultural Centre Vilenica from Seľana.
Featuring numerous literary and cultural events – round-table
discussions, literary readings, a book fair, symposia,
presentations of contemporary literatures and literary
publications –, the Vilenica festival usually takes place in the
second week of September.
The Vilenica jury, advised by the jury consultants, selects
authors from around Europe and beyond. At one of the several
literary readings participants read their work, while the Vilenica
Almanac features extracts of their writing in the original as well
as in the Slovene and English translation. The theoretical part of
the festival provides many opportunities for in-depth debates,
while social events add to a relaxed atmosphere for socializing
and meeting.
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