Vilenica Festival honors Serhij Žadan and Velibor Čolić

The Vilenica Festival in Štanjel has honored two prominent literary figures. Serhij Žadan received the award featuring a stone masterwork by Jernej Bortolat. In his speech, Žadan addressed the responsibility of literature, noting its inherent limitations in stopping wars while emphasizing the necessity of literature to honestly document good and evil.

Additionally, Bosnian-French writer Velibor Čolić was awarded the Crystal of Vilenica for his text ‘Priročnik za izgnance’ (Manual for Exiles). The jury praised Čolić as a master of narrative and style, noting his ability to weave personal and European realities. A migrant who moved from Bosnia to France following the war, Čolić writes in French and has received numerous international accolades for his trilogy on exile.