Slovenia — The Book Roads

Books from Slovenia

Lojze Kovačič

The war is ending, but for Bubi and his family, peace brings a new set of uncertainties. In Ljubljana, the arrival of communist rule transforms everyday life, leaving people to navigate shifting loyalties, political suspicion, poverty, and the demands of a society being rebuilt from the ground up. Bubi fears that his family’s German-speaking background will make them targets under the new regime. As he witnesses show trials, homelessness, and the upheaval of postwar life, he begins to question the ideals shaping the world around him. At the same time, his interest in art and literature deepens, offering him a way to understand a society caught between collective ambition and individual freedom. In this final volume of his autobiographical masterpiece, Lojze Kovačič captures the contradictions of a country emerging from war, where hope and oppression coexist and the search for belonging remains unresolved.

2027

Newcomers: Book Two

Lojze Kovačič

The second installment of Lojze Kovačič’s Slovenian masterpiece begins with our hero, Bubi, once again making mischief in the labyrinthine streets, rooftops, bridges, abandoned butcher shops, and cinemas of wartime Ljubljana, with a coterie of scrappy sidekicks. Scenes of first sexual encounters – which are more mimicry than acts of desire – are interspersed with hijinks that replicate the violence raging across Europe. From the goofy, heady plots of childhood, Bubi emerges as a determined student of art, trading his handmade comic books for scraps of food and working day and night on a mural of Snow White for a nearby orphanage. Kovačič’s control of language, and Michael Biggins’s expert translation, form a remarkable fidelity to a time in which a thirteen-year-old Swiss kid, exiled and yet protected from the worst horrors of the Holocaust, envisions Nazi Germany as “a gigantic, black, marble block filled with Hitler Youth brats with whom I would have to stand at attention, striking some drum.” Book Two is so packed with arresting historical detail, so attentive to the intricate material world of 1940s Ljubljana, as to render the contemporary moment flimsy in comparison.

2020

Newcomers: Book One

Lojze Kovačič

The first volume of this three-part autobiographical series begins in 1938 with the expulsion of the Kovačič family from their home in Switzerland, eventually leading to their settlement in the father’s home country of Slovenia. Before leaving their home, the ten-year-old son of the family imagines his father’s country as one of beauty and fairytales, but as they make their way to the land of their exile, the family realizes that any efforts to make this place a home will be in vain. Confronted by misery, hunger, and hostility, the young boy refuses to learn Slovenian and falls silent, his surroundings becoming a social, cultural, and mental abyss. Narrated by the boy with uncanny naiveté, the novel follows his family’s journey in a fragmented mosaic of memories. Some are innocent and tender, while others are miserable and ruthless, resulting in a profound and heart-wrenching description of a period torn apart by conflict, reflected in the author’s powerful and innovative command of language.

2016

Famous authors from Slovenia

About Slovenia

Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe, where the Alps, Mediterranean coastline, green valleys, and limestone karst landscapes meet. Its scenery ranges from the snow-capped Julian Alps and emerald waters of the Soča River to the vineyards of the east and the short Adriatic coastline. Ljubljana, the capital, is known for its riverside cafés, elegant bridges, and relaxed cultural atmosphere, while Lake Bled and the historic town of Piran are among the country’s best-known landmarks. Slovenian culture reflects a blend of Slavic heritage, Central European traditions, and Mediterranean influences, shaped by centuries of exchange with neighboring Austria, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary.

Region: Europe

Literary Context

Slovenian literature has deep roots in oral folklore, folk songs, legends, and religious writing. Stories passed down through generations preserve local beliefs, rural customs, and connections to the natural world. The development of written Slovenian literature became particularly important during the Protestant Reformation, when writers helped establish the foundations of the modern literary language. France Prešeren, Slovenia’s national poet, is a central figure in its literary history. His poetry explores love, freedom, identity, and the place of a small nation within Europe. Other influential writers include Ivan Cankar, whose works examine social inequality and moral conflict; Srečko Kosovel, known for his experimental modernist poetry; and Boris Pahor, whose writing reflects on fascism, concentration camps, and the experience of Slovenia’s Italian-speaking borderlands. Contemporary authors such as Drago Jančar explore history, political power, and individual freedom. Slovenian literature frequently examines national identity, memory, social change, nature, belonging, and the tensions between personal experience and collective history, while also engaging with broader European literary movements.