The Slovenian Association of Literary Translators (DSKP) once again brought the participants of the International Slovenian Literature Translation Seminar to the garden of Villa Zlatica in Ljubljana. This time, the topic was the future of contemporary Slovenian comics and how to approach the translation of comic clouds.
After opening speeches by Tanja Petrič, literary critic, translator and member of the DSKP, Katja Stergar, Director of the Slovenian Book Agency, Katarina Bogataj (Forum of Slavic Cultures) and translator Andrej Hočevar (Ljubljana UNESCO City of Literature), a discussion on the state of contemporary Slovenian comics took place, using the example of the Golden Pear award-winning children’s comic Tik je šel v gozd po drva (Tik went to the forest for firewood) by Ram Cunta and Miha Hančič (VigeVageKnjige, 2022). The work, which was also discussed in more detail during one of the workshops of the seminar, is the subject of a suspenseful adventure story, which raises questions for fans of the genre about the development and future of Slovenian comics, comics criticism and the conundrums of terminology. The discussion was moderated by comics critic Gašper Rus and featured authors Ram Cunta and Miha Hančič, poet, publisher and translator Anja Zag Golob and comics critic Pia Nikolič.
The discussion, which rounded off the opening day of the 13th International Translation Seminar of Slovenian Literature, paid special attention to Stripburger magazine, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and the publishing house VigeVageKnjige, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and has won five Golden Pears for its comics for children and young people. The programme from 4 to 9 July 2023 took place in Ljubljana and Maribor under the auspices of the operation “Slovenia, central guest of the Frankfurt International Book Fair – a model for the sustainable promotion of Slovenian literary creativity abroad”, co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.