Fabula x CELA – Young Slovenian Translators

In 2025, the Festival of World Literatures – Fabula has become an international partner of the European platform CELA (Connecting Emerging Literary Artists), which brings together young European authors, translators and literary professionals. CELA gives visibility to new literary voices, establishing links among translators and publishers, editors and the literary community across Europe, and strengthening the role of young translators in shaping Europe's literary future. Through this partnership, Ljubljana becomes one of Europe's major literary incubators, where literary creativity and professionalisation will enjoy a unique symbiotic relationship.

The Fabula CELA – Young Slovenian Translators is dedicated to Slovenia's promising translators who have spent the last three years translating works by contemporary European authors into and from Slovenian as part of the CELA project. Mojca Petaros, Zarja Lampret Prešeren, Rina Pleteršek, Sara Hočevar Mucić, Lucija Janc Novak, Tina Jurman, Natalija Milovanović, Aleš Belšak, Lara Potočnik and Maja Kovač will speak about their translation experiences, the challenges of working in contemporary European fiction, discussing the key stylistic and thematic features of recent European literature.

The panel will be hosted by Tanja Petrič, President of the Slovenian Association of Literary Translators.

Fabula x CELA as a Literary Incubator
As part of the Fabula x CELA – Young Slovenian Translators project, which runs in partnership with the publishing house Goga and the Slovenian Association of Literary Translators, the translators will also act as moderators at several literary evenings around Slovenia – the authors and translators will tour bookstore events in Novo mesto (Goga), Nova Gorica (Maks) and Maribor (Beletrina). In addition, a special networking event with local publishers and editors will be organised at Vodnikova domačija Šiška (Vodnik Homestead), where young translators will have the opportunity to form important professional connections for the further development of their careers, and an intensive closed-door translation seminar will be organised this year in cooperation with the Slovenian Association of Literary Translators.

The event will be held in Slovenian.