- Reading suggestion
- 1 July 2021
Readers of Europe 2021 - Slovenian recommendation
Readers of Europe - recommendation by the Permanent Representation of Slovenia to the EU
Book selected: Panorama by Dušan Šarotar
A Slovenian writer visits Galway seeking peace and inspiration. Places and people shift as the writer, the books narrator, weaves a web of introspection. Reverberating through the dense fabric of mediation, is a text that probes deeply into the landscape in which it is set. The physical and mental. Such is the setting of the Slovenian author Dušan Šarotar's atmospheric book Panorama.
Šarotar’s prose is poetic. The narrative takes the form of an associative stream of consciousness. As you drift along the narrators thoughts, the densely lyrical text consumes you whole, compelling you to make your own reflections.
The narrator’s atmospheric depictions of landscape expose the inner experience of the writer in a foreign setting. It is from exile that he can take perspective, and yet from exile his home seems ever more elusive.
Much like how the author grapples with his inner thoughts, the reader must recognise the rhythm of Šarotar’s writing. Sentences are descriptive, paragraphs used sparingly. However once found the reader reaches a destination of devastating beauty.
Woven around with the narrator’s story are several themes - the plight of immigrants, travel, language and place. This is in many ways a European story, with parts taking place in Ireland, the Aran Islands, Belgium, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along the way we encounter an Albanian driver, a random audience member at a literary event in Brussels and a poet from Sarajevo.
Part fiction, part photo essay, part travelogue, part memoir. An extraordinary novel, that will live long in your thoughts after reading it.
For those looking to unearth more Slovenian literary gems, discover more via Eureka, the online catalogue of the Council libraries.
About the Readers of Europe campaign
Through the long months of winter, in the darkest depths of the pandemic, the thought of traveling again was a guiding light for many sailing towards uncertain shores.
Although people were confined to their homes, many made epic voyages in uncharted lands with the aid of an old friend - books. For many, books were used as an invaluable coping measure to help deal with the psychosocial strain of being confined. Reading has helped people in Europe and around the world to cope with isolation during enduring lockdowns, and deal with the uncertainty about the future.
Summer 2021 has a more hopeful feel than last year. The ever increasing vaccination rates and the EU Digital COVID Certificate will hopefully facilitate safe free movement of citizens in the EU.
But situations can change quickly during pandemics. Some people may prefer to have staycations in their country of residence. But whether you are voyaging at home or overseas, the Council Library has found a 'budget' way to enable everyone to visit European shores.
This summer the Council Library will whisk you away across the continent, moving not only across the Member States, but in and out of time as well.
We have once again invited colleagues from the Permanent Representations to the EU to make recommendations for books to read over the summer, with the second edition of our 'Readers of Europe' campaign. The theme for this years campaign is 'Travel across Europe through literature'.
The literary pitstops on this tour will shine a light on some of Europe's hidden charms, visiting places that are both eerily familiar and profoundly new. The works selected cover a broad range of genres, from contemporary to classic. Stories that penetrate deeply and consume entirely. Stories with strange beauty, nostalgia, mystery and love. Stories that showcase the vast wealth of European literature.
The itinerary is set. No passport is needed to go on this trip. The only carry on permitted is books and bookmarks, (and maybe a cup of tea).
Join us as we travel across Europe through literature, as we once again encounter, the Readers of Europe.
For more information about the EU Digital CVOID certificate please see the
For more information on the Slovenian Presidency of the EU see the
#ReadersofEurope
This post does not necessarily represent the positions, policies, or opinions of the Council of the European Union or the European Council.
The Council Library reading room is currently closed. The Info Desk remains open online and will reply to queries by email from Monday to Friday, 10.00 to 16.00.