In Slovenian, without translation.

The World Literature Festival – Fabula is an international partner of the European platform CELA – Connecting Emerging Literary Artists, which brings together young writers, translators, and literary professionals to provide long-term support for emerging authors, fostering their development and integration into the European literary scene. In collaboration with the Goga publishing house, Fabula strengthens the professionalization of literary activity, while positioning Ljubljana as an important hub of contemporary European literature.

As part of Fabula × CELA, a special evening will be dedicated to three Slovenian writers selected for the project. The addressed themes: writing as a process, coming onto the international literary scene, and how an author’s voice evolves at the intersection of local roots and European exchange.

Participating authors:
•    Liu Zakrajšek – novelist, essayist, and translator, known for blending theory, philosophy, and distinctive literary voice.
•    Selma Skenderović – writer and poet, president of Young PEN Slovenia, acclaimed for her fiction exploring identity and memory. 
•    Tina Perić – writer, translator, and musician, merging language, sound, and collective creation in her work.

The evening will include a discussion on writing in today’s literary landscape, the intersection of local and European literary networks, and the visibility of Slovenian authors.

Moderated by Ana Geršak, the event presents Fabula × CELA as a literary laboratory, a space where authorial voices are nurtured and connected.
 

Line-up: Katja Šulc, vocals, voice processor, sampler, looper, ukulele; Andraž Mazi, pedal steel guitar, banjo, charango; Marino Kranjac, dulcimer

A Slovenian singer and songwriter known for her signature blend of poetry and music, contemporary folk, and diverse cultural traditions, Katja Šulc employs an eclectic musical approach, a method built on atmosphere, intimate interpretation, storytelling, and sound effects. After obtaining an education in Slovenia and studying at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, Šulc has released five studio albums, whose common thread is poetry in music.  Her latest album, West Wind Blow From Your Prairie Nest (ŠKUC, 2024), reached the World Music Chart Europe Top 20 and received a nomination for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.

At this concert, she will journey through the landscapes where she encountered the poetry of her albums. The special guest of the evening will be Istrian musician Marino Kranjac, with whom she sets the poetry of Istria to music.
 

Cankarjev dom’s new music and literature series taking place in the Alma Karlin Hall focuses on an interlacement of music and narration flowing seamlessly into one another in the search for meaning, rhythm, and emotion. The series opens up space for an intimate yet engaging experience, where poetry, narrative, and music come together in an insightful reflection on our times.

*When purchasing tickets for all five concerts of the Notopisi series, you are entitled to a 20% discount.

Due to objective circumstances, the originally announced concert Moja vojna harmonika will be replaced by the artistic project Stolpi. Sirene. ​​​​​​​

Line-up: Aleš Šteger, lyrics; Jure Tori, accordion

In Slovenian, without translation.

In a time pervaded by noise and constant stimuli, Aleš Šteger and Jure Tori invite audiences to a unique cultural event – an experience that redefines the meaning of listening. Stolpi. Sirene. is an artistic ritual bringing together world-class literature and virtuosic accordion music. The project draws on two forthcoming book releases (spring 2026): Šteger’s essay collection on the necessity of active listening, Biti uho – Za življenje v čuječnosti (Slovenska matica), and the poetry collection Stolpi (Založba Pivec).

The artists take the audience on a vibrant thematic journey through ancient myths – from Homer’s account of the deadly song of the Sirens to Odysseus’s ingenuity in Franz Kafka –, as well as through medicine and biology, offering fascinating insights into the evolution and anatomy of the human ear and the acoustics of the animal kingdom (from elephants to praying mantises). The journey also embraces contemporary chaos, reflecting on today’s war-warning sirens and the search for inner silence amidst information noise.

Aleš Šteger is one of Slovenia’s most internationally recognised writers. A recipient of numerous awards in Slovenia and abroad, Šteger’s works have been translated into more than twenty languages. He is a member of prestigious academies in Berlin and Darmstadt. More than mere readings, his performances are physical interpretations of poetry that verge on theatrical events.

An accordionist and composer known for his signature sound, Jure Tori’s music moves between the melancholy of jazz, the energy of ethno traditions, and the fervour of a tanguero. He is the founder of the groups Tori Tango and Orlek, and regularly tours internationally with his projects, from Europe to Asia.
 

Cankarjev dom’s new music and literature series taking place in the Alma Karlin Hall focuses on an interlacement of music and narration flowing seamlessly into one another in the search for meaning, rhythm, and emotion. The series opens up space for an intimate yet engaging experience, where poetry, narrative, and music come together in an insightful reflection on our times.

*When purchasing tickets for all five concerts of the Notopisi series, you are entitled to a 20% discount.

Line-up: Bogdana Herman, vocals; Milan Dekleva, piano; Jerko Novak, guitar; Božo Ogorevc, violin; Lado Jakša, clarinet, percussion; Aleš Kacjan, flute, percussion

Salamander, founded in the mid-1970s by musician Tomaž Pengov (1949–2014) and poet Milan Dekleva, released their eponymous debut album in 2025. According to guitarist Jerko Novak, the band members have embraced no particular genre; their main guiding principle is giving space and time to the musical instruments. Even after all these years, their group motto remains “dedication to exploring and generating interactions between music and poetry.” In addition to the tracks from their album, they will play brand new material, with lyrics penned by Milan Dekleva.
 

Cankarjev dom’s new music and literature series taking place in the Alma Karlin Hall focuses on an interlacement of music and narration flowing seamlessly into one another in the search for meaning, rhythm, and emotion. The series opens up space for an intimate yet engaging experience, where poetry, narrative, and music come together in an insightful reflection on our times.

*When purchasing tickets for all five concerts of the Notopisi series, you are entitled to a 20% discount.

Line-up: Jani Kovačič, vocals, guitar; Aljaž Bassin, guitar; Nikola Matošić, double bass; Ana Mezgec, violin 
Lyrics translated and arranged by: Dušanka Zabukovec & Jani Kovačič


Georges Brassens (1921–1981) was one of the most-celebrated French chansonniers of the 20th century. He wrote some extremely controversial, yet poetic songs, standing up for humanity and human flaws, as well as the power of generosity. He was a staunch anarchist, and many of his songs still carry a lot of relevance. While known for accompanying himself with his acoustic guitar, Brassens was often accompanied by his friend, bassist Pierre Nicolas, and occasionally by another guitarist. Several books and biographies, as well as films have been dedicated to Georges Brassens. Despite his international acclaim and the popularity of chanson in Slovenia, he is little known here. Still, two of his songs have been performed by local artists: La Mauvaise Herbe (Bad Reputation) by Jure Ivanušič and Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux by Vita Mavrič (There Is No Happy Love – lyrics by Louis Aragon, music by Brassens). The opening event of this new series, featuring Jani Kovačič and his band, is thus dedicated to the poetry and music of Georges Brassens.

Cankarjev dom’s new music and literature series taking place in the Alma Karlin Hall focuses on an interlacement of music and narration flowing seamlessly into one another in the search for meaning, rhythm, and emotion. The series opens up space for an intimate yet engaging experience, where poetry, narrative, and music come together in an insightful reflection on our times.

*When purchasing tickets for all five concerts of the Notopisi series, you are entitled to a 20% discount.

Weaving a cinematic narrative – an interlacement of music and narration, the artists take the audience on a journey through the life and work of Josip Jurčič, a historical novelist and the author of the first Slovenian novel who derived his motifs from Slovenian folk tradition. Captivating memories unfold before the eyes of the spectator, presenting Josip Jurčič's life (Epilogue), the short story Kozlovska sodba v Višnji Gori (The Famous Goat Trial), Lepa Vida (The Fair Vida), and Rokovnjači (The Bandits), concluding with the Epilogue. Inspired by Ivan Tavčar’s Visoška kronika (The Visoko Chronicle), the project creators wrote musical compositions that seamlessly overlap with the most relevant, dramatic and joyful passages from this historical novel, which deals with a broad spectrum of human emotions, ranging from the basest motives to the noblest sentiments.

Joining forces with Slovenia’s foremost narrator, Ivan Lotrič, the project authors (performing their own original compositions) are academically trained guitarist Andrej Ofak and accordionist Borut Mori.

Cankarjev dom’s new music and literature series taking place in the Alma Karlin Hall focuses on an interlacement of music and narration flowing seamlessly into one another in the search for meaning, rhythm, and emotion. The series opens up space for an intimate yet engaging experience, where poetry, narrative, and music come together in an insightful reflection on our times.

*When purchasing tickets for all five concerts of the Notopisi series, you are entitled to a 20% discount.
 

Prem Rawat, an internationally recognized peace ambassador, humanitarian, and New York Times bestselling author, invites us in his latest book, Breath: Wake Up to Life, to pause for a moment, listen to our heart and our breath, and recognize in the breath the miracle of life.

The book Breath: Wake Up to Life was the occasion for a meeting with Prem Rawat at Cankarjev dom on July 8 this year. Prem Rawat shared his profound and unique message that rediscovering inner peace is possible. Among other things, he said:

“We don’t live life - we live our desires. I want to be this, I want to be that, I want to be someone special, when in fact all we need to do is live.”

The book will be presented by Tina Mahkota, translator, and Žiga Valetič, writer and publicist, in conversation with Tjaša Koprivec Vuga, writer and storyteller. The event will be hosted on behalf of the organizer by Nadja Alikadić, MD, a specialist surgeon at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. During the event, short video clips from international events featuring Prem Rawat will be screened.

Prem Rawat was born in 1957 in northern India and has dedicated his life to sharing a unique message of inner peace with millions of people around the world. He began speaking publicly as a child, and at the age of thirteen addressed audiences at the Glastonbury Festival, quickly drawing widespread attention. Since then, his voice has traveled to nearly every part of the world.

He carries out his humanitarian efforts through The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF), which has supported a wide range of charitable initiatives worldwide since 2001, and through the Education for Peace program.

In life, we need peace. Peace comes when we listen to our hearts, when we turn inward, when we are inspired by the most wondrous magic of all - the coming and going of the breath. Prem Rawat invites us to recognize peace, compassion, and coexistence, and to act for our own good and for the good of others.

Rawat’s commitment to working for peace is boundless. Last year, he visited twenty-one countries on six continents and gave sixty public talks. This July, he returned to Ljubljana once again. In the summer of 2025, public events at which Prem Rawat spoke were attended by 7,700 people, with an additional 60,000 viewers watching via live streams.

In Slovenian, readers can also find Prem Rawat’s book Listen to Yourself: How to Find Peace in a Noisy World. In it, the author encourages us to look beyond the storms of everyday life and to remember once again that peace can be found within ourselves.

At the literary event, the author will talk about the creation of her debut novel, I Am the Cage — about writing inspired by her personal experience of growing up with a rare congenital physical condition and undergoing demanding, even cruel, medical treatments in childhood.

Together with the moderator and guest Adam Grant, the conversation will explore the themes that have shaped the author’s writing — from identity, vulnerability, and courage to trust, betrayal, and the search for meaning and freedom after physical and emotional trauma.

I Am the Cage (2025), the debut novel by Allison Sweet Grant, tells the story of 19-year-old Elisabeth, who faces medical trauma and the ways it has shaped her life. Through moving retrospection, beautiful poetry, and powerful character development, Elisabeth learns to confront her past and speak openly about her story and her scars.

Allison Sweet Grant is a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times and The Atlantic. She holds dual master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of six internationally acclaimed books that have reached #1 of The New York Times Best Sellers and sold millions of copies; two of them have been translated into Slovenian (Think Again and Hidden Potential). Adam is also the host of the popular podcast ReThinking, in which he talks with distinguished guests about new perspectives on work, thinking, and human potential.

Author Allison Sweet Grant will join the event remotely (via video link), while Professor Adam Grant will attend in person.

The GreenTech program combines top scientific expertise with leading industrial partners to support Slovenian companies in the green transition on two levels: production processes and products. GreenTech is a research program designed to connect revolutionary solutions across the entire value chain of the development and manufacturing process – from research and development and technological innovations in production to energy-efficient devices based on EU-sourced materials. The program will first contribute to the green transition in Slovenia and subsequently expand its impact across the European Union and the planet as a whole.

Ob svoji veliki razstavi Napočil bo dan, ki jo do začetka septembra gosti Galerija Cankarjevega doma (poglavja I do III) ter Galerija Fotografija (poglavje IV) bo Ljubljano obiskal eden največjih okoljevarstvenih fotografov današnjega časa, Nick Brandt. 

Pogovor s fotografom bosta vodili kustosinji razstave Napočil bo dan Barbara Čeferin (ustanoviteljica Galerije Fotografije) in Katarina Hergouth, vodja razstavnega programa v Cankarjevem domu.

V Londonu rojeni fotograf Nick Brandt (1964) je študiral slikarstvo in film (na Saint Martin's School of Art). Med režiranjem epskega videospota Earth Song Michaela Jacksona v Tanzaniji leta 1995 se je zaljubil v živali in vzhodnoafriško pokrajino. Kmalu za tem je ustvaril svojo prvo fotografsko serijo On This Earth (2000–05), ki s poznejšima cikloma A Shadow Falls (2009) in Across the Ravaged Land (2013) sestavlja trilogijo. On This Earth je leta 2005 izšla v knjižni obliki z uvodi naravovarstvenice in primatologinje Jane Goodall, pisateljice Alice Sebold in fotografske kritičarke Vicki Goldberg.

Poznejši seriji Inherit the Dust (2016) in This Empty World (2019) sta bili prav tako posneti v vzhodni Afriki. 

Leta 2010 je Brandt v Keniji/Tanzaniji soustanovil neprofitno organizacijo Big Life Foundation, ki več kot tristo petdeset lokalnih čuvajev oz. naravovarstvenih nadzornikov zaposluje za varovanje in ohranjanje 1,6 milijona hektarjev zaščitenega ekosistema Amboseli/Kilimandžaro. 

Njegove fotografije so del številnih javnih in zasebnih zbirk. Pri svojem delu se osredotoča na posledice uničevanja okolja in podnebnega zloma tako za najbolj ranljive prebivalce planeta kot tudi za živalski in naravni svet.

V sodelovanju z Galerijo Fotografijo in WILLAS Contemporary