Boris Pahor advocating truth, freedom, national awareness
Ljubljana, 26 August - Author Boris Pahor underlined the importance of dialogue guided by reason at the launch of his new book, marking his 103rd birthday in Ljubljana on Friday. Prime Minister Miro Cerar, who hosted the award-winning author for lunch, praised him as a devoted advocate of love.
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Prime Minister Miro Cerar (right) hosting the 103-year old author Boris Pahor at the Villa Podrožnik.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (sitting left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (left) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (right) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (right) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Ljubljana
Author Boris Pahor (right) has his new book launched upon his 103rd birthday at Ljubljana's Konzorcij bookshop.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
Pahor also received congratulations from President Borut Pahor, who wished him health and expressed hope that he will continue to inspire Slovenians.
The head of the Mladinska knjiga publisher, Peter Tomšič, said at the Konzorcij bookshop that his new book V imenu dialoga (In the Name of Dialogue) was a fierce counterpoint to ideas and questions about humankind and the future.
It demands complex and firm responses. The author insists on his main postulates of truth, freedom and national awareness, he said.
Pahor sees hope in the world that will put man and uniqueness in all fields in the centre, a world that will stand up to wars, barbarianism and dominance and put "health national awareness" in the centre.
He supports the idea of an ethical parliament by Stephan Hessel and Edgar Morin. If political leaders, business executives, religious leaders, writers and other thinkers held a meeting in the name of dialogue, the dialogue could succeed, he said.
Editor Zdravko Duša said the book was structured in a similar way as Pahor presented his thoughts to the public - it is as mixture of journal entries, old texts, book quotes and correspondence.
The first part of the book features a journal that was published in the Saturday supplement of daily Delo for a month in 2005, and the second texts written since 2013 which Pahor deems important.
They include a correspondence with researcher Igor Omerza, which Pahor believes shows that UDBA, the notorious Yugoslav secret police, monitored dissident writer Edvard Kocbek.
After the book lunch, Pahor attended a lunch in his honour at the Villa Podrožnik hosted by the prime minister, which also featured Education Minister Maja Makovec Brenčič, the Mladinska knjiga management and the editor of his latest book.
Cerar highlighted Pahor's opposition to totalitarian regimes and his celebration of life, freedom and human dignity that thanked him for his contribution.