Evelina Ferrar

Here is a video of the Nelson plaque ceremony in Hotel Slon in Ljubljana on 9th September. See BSS post of 10th September. Keith Miles, Honorary President of the British-Slovene Society gave an inaugural address on our behalf.

Barbican Library
Silk Street, Barbican
London EC2Y 8DS

You are cordially invited to join an evening of literature from Slovenia, the Guest of Honour at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair. Writer and translator Erica Johnson Debeljak and Lukas Debeljak, poet and translator, will talk about the joint creative process of translating the book Machine, Do You Know Your Duty? by Slovenian author Esad Babačić. In discussion with Dr Karen Saego, they will also share their insights and perspectives on writing their own work.

REGISTER or email rsvp.vlo@gov.si 

Erica Johnson Debeljak (1961, San Francisco) received degrees from Columbia and New York University. In 1993 she moved to Slovenia to marry the poet Aleš Debeljak. Her first book, Foreigner in the House of Natives, was published in 1999. In the decades that followed, she wrote many books in a range of genres, including the popular memoir Forbidden Bread in 2010. In 2018, she co-edited the book Just Passing Through: Postcards of Aleš Debeljak, a unique tribute in postcards to her husband, who died in 2016. Her most recent book Virgin, Wife, Widow, Whore published in 2021, became an instant bestseller and won the Book of the Year Award at the 37th Slovenian Bookfair. She writes in English and her work is translated into Slovenian, German, Croatian, and Serbian.

Lukas Debeljak (1999) studied in California and in Berlin. His poetry has been published in magazines in Slovenia (Dialogi, Idiot, Literatura, Zamenjave) and abroad (Enklava, Slavicum Press, Rukopisi), and translated into English, Czech, Serbian, Spanish, and other languages. In 2022, he published his debut poetry collection To Know Like Water. He translates contemporary Slovenian poetry and theory. He lives and works in Berlin and Ljubljana.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Barbican Library and the Slovene Writers’ Association. With the support of the European Union and the Slovenian Book Agency.
Co-founded by the Cultural Fund run jointly by the Slovenian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and aimed at promoting Slovenian culture abroad

Člani lokalnega odbora društva VTIS Velika Britanija vabijo na Martinovanje v Cambridge-u!

Korenine martinovanja naj bi izhajale že iz keltskega praznika, ki se je poklonil rodovitnosti jesenskega časa na poljih in v vinogradih. Sv. Martin, škof iz francoskega Toursa z madžarskimi koreninami, se je zdel najprimernejši naslednik in zaščitnik tega pomembnega časa. Veselje, ko iz mošta nastane pravo vino, je v Sloveniji neprimerljivo s katerim koli drugim praznikom. Skoraj vsak sedmi Slovenec je namreč vinogradnik. Morda se sliši nenavadno, a tudi Velika Britanija postaja vse bolj prepoznavna vinorodna dežela!

Zato vabijo v soboto, 11. novembra 2023, od 14.00 dalje, da se jim pridružite v vaškem domu v kraju Stow cum Quy, Main St, Stow cum Quy, Cambridge CB25 9AB, kjer se bo kuhalo, jedlo in pilo.

Here is information received from the Slovenian Embassy in London:

The ASEF Visit Slovenia scholarship program is a one-year initiative offering young individuals the opportunity for a 10-week working or research visit at a Slovenian university, company, or research institute within their field of study or expertise. Scholarship recipients will collaborate with Slovenian professors, project mentors, and fellow members of the professor’s research team. The program’s primary objective is to provide talented young individuals with Slovenian heritage a chance for professional growth while immersing themselves in the culture, language, and research environment of Slovenia. Additionally, scholarship recipients will engage with Slovenes and Slovenian communities and participate in events organized by ASEF.

Applications for the scholarship program are open to students enrolled in accredited higher education institutions, regardless of their field of study, as well as other young individuals with Slovenian roots residing abroad. Knowledge of the Slovenian language and familiarity with Slovenia is recommended but not mandatory. Typical applicants may include undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral students from the United States, Canada, Argentina, or any other country.

The call for applications for the 2024 ASEF Visit Slovenia scholarship program can be found at the following link:

https://asef.net/event/applications-are-now-open-for-the-2024-asef-fellowship-program-visit-slovenia/

Dear Slovenes and British friends and families,

Here are two forthcoming events later this year:

• VTIS (Slovenes educated abroad) and the British-Slovene Society are organizing Martinovanje in Stow Cum Quy Village Hall (CB25 9AB) near Cambridge in the afternoon of 11th November
• The British-Slovene Society’s Christmas Carol Service will take place in London on 8th December at 6:30 pm.

More information will follow shortly.

Tudi v šolskem letu 2023/24 bo potekal dopolnilni pouk slovenščine, katerega cilj je ohranjanje in razvijanje slovenščine pri Slovencih po svetu. Pouk je namenjen predšolskim in šoloobveznim otrokom (od 4. leta dalje) s slovenskimi koreninami.

Pouk začasno poteka na daljavo. Na spletu bo potekal pouk s starejšimi učenci ob ponedeljkih zvečer, z mlajšimi učenci pa ob sobotah dopoldne in zgodaj popoldne.

Za več informacij vas vabimo, da se obrnete na učiteljico slovenščine, Urško Rozman. E-naslov: u.rozman@gmail.com

Dopolnilni pouk slovenščine v tujini financira in organizira Ministrstvo za izobraževanje, znanost in šport RS, v sodelovanju z Zavodom RS za šolstvo, ki nudi strokovno podporo.

Javni štipendijski, razvojni, invalidski in preživninski sklad Republike Slovenije je objavil javni razpis za dodelitev štipendij za študij v Republiki Sloveniji za Slovence v zamejstvu in Slovence po svetu za študijsko leto 2023/2024. Rok prijave je do vključno 30. 9. 2023.

Besedilo razpisa je v priponki, vse informacije pa so dostopne tudi na spletni strani sklada: https://www.srips-rs.si/vsi-razpisi/razpis/stipendije-za-slovence-v-zamejstvu-slovence-po-svetu-za-studijsko-leto-20232024-339-jr

Are you ready to start or continue studying Slovene? Join Slovene language evening courses starting in October 2023 at UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies

These small interactive courses are designed for adults and develop conversation skills without losing sight of the fundamentals of grammar. They are ideal for anyone interested in the rich culture and unique language of Slovenia.

All courses are scheduled to run 6:30-8:30pm online and will start in the week commencing 9^th of October.

This year we will be offering the following courses:
Beginners (Tuesdays)
Lower Intermediate (Thursdays)
Upper Intermediate (Wednesdays)
Advanced (Mondays)

More information about the Slovene courses can be found HERE

If you are interested, please enrol HERE

The courses will be taught by Maja Rančigaj Beneš (Lower Intermediate and Advanced course) and Romana Šuštar (Beginners and Upper Intermediate course). For more information contact Maja Rančigaj Beneš, Slovene language lector: m.rancigaj@ucl.ac.uk

Organized with support by:

At the invitation of the British Ambassador, HE Tiffany Sadler, Hotel Slon and the Nelson Society, a ceremony and reception took place on Sept 7th 2023 to commemorate Admiral Lord Nelson’s visit to Slovenia and his stay in Ljubljana’s only hotel at the time (Hotel Slon).

A plaque was unveiled in the lobby of Hotel Slon, marking the visit by the famous British naval commander in 1800.

The occasion was moderated by Keith Miles, OBE, honorary president of The British Slovene Society.

A Naval Ceremonial Guard stood alongside the plaque as the Slovenian and British National Anthems were played by the Slovenian Armed Forces Military Band – Brass Quintet.

The plaque was unveiled by Slovenia’s Brigadier General Milan Žurman and Ambassador Tiffany Sadler.

The Minister for Slovenes Abroad, Matej Arčon,  has sent a letter thanking compatriots who helped victims of recent torrential rain and floods in Slovenia.

Click here to read his letter in Slovene: 2023 8 Pismo ministra Arčona

All information how you can still help is on the Slovenian Government website  https://www.gov.si/en/registries/projects/worst-floods-hit-slovenia/