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.

***

Tea/coffee and Chocolate Mints

***

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:

On 6 December we had another heart-warming Carol Service in the church of St. Andrews by the Wardrobe in London. The service was led by rector Guy Treweek. The readings were performed by our members (and a young helper). We sang British and Slovene hymns and carols and celebrated British-Slovene friendship.We finished our evening with excellent potica (courtesy of the British-Slovene Society) and mulled wine (courtesy of the Embassy). The new Ambassador, Tadej Rupel, was present with his two daughters and embassy staff.

The evening was organised again by Keith and Slava Miles. We collected £149 for our Barka Charity in Slovenia.

On 5 November the English version of Marko Sosič’s book Ballerina, Ballerina was presented in the European Bookshop in London. Below, the author (right) with Guardian critic Joanna Walsh (left) who discussed the book with the author.

Literary One on One –  Dalkey Archive writers with English critics:

Marko Sosič in conversation
with Guardian critic Joanna Walsh

Together with authors Jean-Philippe Toussaint (Belgium) & Aka Morchiladze (Georgia), and critics Juliet Jacques (New Statesman) and Lucy Popescu (The Independent).

Wednesday, 5 November at 7 pm

European Bookshop, 5 Warwick Street, London W1B 5LU

RSVP: neal@dalkeyarchive.com

Marko Sosič is a theatre and film director born in 1958 inTrieste. He began publishing fiction in the late 1980s, and is the author of several books, including a collection of short stories and an autobiographical novel about his time in theatre.

Ballerina, Ballerina, a highly praised novel won him the Vstajenje Award, listed him among the five finalists for the Kresnik Award, and included him in the European project ‘The 100 Slovene novels’.

“Drawing comparisons to William Faulkner in its expressionistic depiction of Ballerina’s interior world, this novel is a classic of contemporary Slovenian literature – a hugely popular exploration of a character whose world is totally divorced from what we think of as reality.”  Dalkey Archive Press

British edition of Marko Sosič’s book Ballerina, Ballerina, translated by Maja Visenjak Limon, was recently published in the Slovenian Literature Series by Dalkey Archive Press.

The event is organized and supported by Dalkey Archive Press, European Bookshop, Slovene Writers’ Association, Ministry of Culture and Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in London.