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Slovenes and friends of Slovenes are warmly invited to join us from 12 noon till 4.30 p.m. on Sunday 28th June for the Annual Picnic in the Oxford University Arboretum at Nuneham Courtenay. We will meet again by the kozolec (Slovene hay rack).

Bring your own picnic and drinks, deckchairs, picnic blankets, your kids, grandchildren and friends. As is usual among Slovenes, we encourage you to bring plenty to eat and drink and share it with everyone!

This splendid Arboretum is close to Nuneham Courtenay House, where Lewis Carroll would row the young Alice Liddell (Alice in Wonderland) and her sisters on the River Thames on a summer afternoon.

It is situated just south of the village of Nuneham Courtenay on the A4074 road from Reading, eight miles south of Oxford. The postal code is OX44 9PX. From London it can be reached by the M40, exit 8, A40 to Oxford, then southwards round the Ring Road (A4142) on to the A4074 towards Reading.

If you come by train to Oxford or Reading, you can then take the bus X39/X40 to the Arboretum. If you have problems please mail to evelina@ferrar.org.uk or call 07584 199 177 and we will do what we can to help.

The Arboretum has kindly agreed to mow the area around the hayrack, which has recently suffered some damage and we are not allowed to climb on it. Adults attending the British-Slovene picnic pay £4.50, concessions £3. Children and Members of Oxford University (bring your card) enter for free.

More information on the Arboretum can be found at https://www.harcourt-arboretum.ox.ac.uk/.

We hope we can welcome many of you as we celebrate and enjoy an afternoon around the kozolec – one of the most traditional symbols of Slovenia and its culture.

The Annual General Meeting of the British-Slovene Society will be held on Friday 26 June 2015.

Time: 7 pm (refreshments from 6.15 pm)

Location: Middle East Association, Floor 6, 27 St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1HA

After the AGM, at about 7.30 pm: talk by Dr. David Worthington on:

The Material Culture of the Scottish Leslie Family in Slovenia in the 17th and 18th centuries

Dr. Worthington, Head of the Centre for History at the University of the Highlands and Islands, will talk about the evidence the Leslies’ culture remaining at their Ptuj property, and the family’s integration into Austrian Habsburg society. 

Seating is restricted to 30 and we therefore request that you confirm attendance by email to membership@britishslovenesociety.org  or in writing to The British-Slovene Society, 43 Runnemede Road, Egham, TW20 9BE by no later than 10^th June 2015.

Wed 13 May 2015, 6.30 – 8.45 pm at the British Library, Conference Centre, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB

Writers from six countries in a literary feast of compelling fiction, poetry and short stories

with
Evald Flisar (Slovenia), Naja Marie Aidt (Denmark), Andrea Bajani (Italy), Jesús Carrasco (Spain), Wioletta Greg (Poland) and Yasmina Khadra (France).

At the European Literature Night’s seventh appearance in the UK, Evald Flisar, Slovenian novelist and playwright, will talk about his work and his latest book published in English titled My Father’s Dreams.

The event will be followed by a reception in the Entrance Hall of the British Library, open to everyone who has attended The Writers event. It will include music, a glass of wine and the chance to buy books by the participating authors and have them signed.

European Literature Night is held simultaneously in 24 cities around the continent.
London’s events are a highlight of the capital’s literary calendar.

BOOK ONLINE

Slovenia may be a small country, but it has great friends at the University of Nottingham. To commemorate the 40^th anniversary of Slovene studies at the university, students, lecturers and singers stage a magnificent celebration on 11^th March.

Nottingham is the only British university to include Slovene language and culture among the study modules it offers, and its students and lecturers prepared an attractive programme of festivities for the invited guests from Slovenia, London and other parts of the country.

Dr David Denton of the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies gave a perceptive talk about the author Ciril Kosmač, whom he hailed as one of the foremost figures of Slovene literature. Postgraduate student Olivia Hellewell spoke of learning the dual form of Slovene when she visited the country with her boyfriend.

Then Slovene singer Vlado Kreslin recited his poetry and sang his songs, which students of the Nottingham faculty had translated into English. Vlado’s melodies and words were inspired by the soulful, misty atmosphere of Slovenia’s Prekmurje region, where he grew up mixing with gypsies.

The Slovenian Embassy donated wine and six kilos of potica, the latter brought over personally from Slovenia by HE Ambassador Tadej Rupelj.  Among those attending was Mr Gorazd Žmavc, Slovenia’s Minister for Slovenes abroad.

On Wednesday 11 March 2015, the University’s Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies is hosting an event to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The event will start at 4:30 pm in the Senate Chamber (Trent Building) for a rich cultural programme and talks. A reception with Slovene wine and potica, hosted by the Slovenian Ambassador, will follow. The evening will be concluded with a concert by the Slovene musician Vlado Kreslin starting at 7:00 pm.

The University’s long association with Eastern European languages and cultures began as far back as 1916 when the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies was founded by a Slovene, Professor Janko Lavrin. Slovene studies were introduced within the department in the academic year 1974-1975 and the ongoing teaching of Slovene language and culture is supported by an agreement between the University of Nottingham and the University of Ljubljana. To date, more than 300 students have studied Slovene at Nottingham. Four decades on, Nottingham remains the only university in the UK where it is possible to study the language.

All are welcome. More information available from Maja Rančigaj, Slovene Language Teacher (maja.rancigaj@nottingham.ac.uk or 07477 433910).

Singing the National Anthem

When Britons and  Slovenes rise to their feet for the Slovenian National Anthem at the Prešeren Dinner in London, you don’t expect a group from Cumbria to be leading the singing. But the star performers at this year’s British-Slovene Society Annual Dinner were Lep pozdrav iz Sedbergha. As became quickly apparent, Sedbergh is not in Slovenia but in the north of England. It’s twinned with Zreče in Slovenia, and the choir led by David Burbidge (in the kilt) have developed an impressive repertoire of Slovene folk songs.

As the Sedberghers launched into the moving Slovene song about the beloved lime tree (Lipa zelenela je), one Slovene listening remarked, “You can tell they’re not Slovenes, they’re not sad enough,” but gave them a hearty round of applause all the same.

The raffle collected a record sum of £495 for the Society’s charity Barka, which helps  people with special needs. This bears witness to the generosity of members, but also the sterling efforts of our raffle ticket-sellers, who confronted every guest with a smiling invitation to contribute.

They’ve never been captured together before: four Ambassadors all connected with Slovenia.  From right to left: Sophie Honey, just appointed new British-Ambassador in Slovenia; Tim Simmons, former British Ambassador in Slovenia; Tadej Rupel, Slovenia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom since 2014;  and David Lloyd, Chairman of the British-Slovene Society, and also a former British Ambassador in Slovenia.

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Tea/coffee and Chocolate Mints

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Half a bottle of wine per person (courtesy of the Slovenian Embassy)

Price (including welcome drink):  £39 for members, £30 for members over 80 and £45 for non-members. Fulltime students who are BSS members pay £30. A student who joins BSS at the time of reserving for the dinner pays £30 and has the first year of membership free.

Please complete the attached application form and return it to the address below no later than Saturday, 31st January 2013 and make your payment. Prior reservation is essential. As capacity is restricted, places are allotted on a first-come first-served basis. You should assume that paid-for places have been reserved for you unless you hear from us to the contrary. No tickets will be issued.

If you wish to make up your own party, please nominate a host who will book the table in his/her name. Please advise if you have any dietary requirements.

A tombola will be held and the proceeds donated to Barka charity.

Please print out and fill in the Application form for Annual Dinner 7 February 2015, and return it either by post or email.

You can pay the fee by PayPal: