Boris Pahor, internationally acclaimed for writing about his Holocaust experiences as described in the novel Necropolis, is currently living in Italy, where he is an eminent figure amongst the Slovene minority in Italy. He received the honorary title of Cultural Ambassador to Slovenia from Slovenian Culture Minister Julijana Bizjak Mlakar on Wednesday, August 26th. He became Slovenia’s first cultural ambassador on his 102nd birthday.

The author, based in Trieste, Italy, is a valued member of the Slovenian minority in Italy. On his 102nd birthday he received the title of Slovenia’s Cultural Ambassador in reward for his remarkable and virtuous fights for Slovenian culture, language and cultural rights.  “Boris Pahor, a writer, a cosmopolitan, Slovenian in the truest sense of the word. I congratulate you not only for the high and respectable age you have reached today on your 102nd birthday, but also for inspiring us with a clear mind and a lively way of thinking and analyzing both the past events, as well as today's realities and always offering a clear view of the future.” These were the high words of praise, from Minister Julijana Bizjak Mlakar, according to a press release of the Slovenian Ministry of Culture from August 26th.

Furthermore, the ministry praised Pahor’s loyalty to the Slovenian nation, for being a tireless democracy and independence advocate for Slovenia. As she presented the honors, Minister Bizjak Mlakar, said that she had taken great pride and admired his work as an editor of Zaliv, a Trieste-based publication between 1966 and 1990. Zaliv was a journal that advocated for democracy and freedom of speech and it represented Pahor’s greatest means of fighting against an abusive system.

Boris Pahor was awarded Order of the Legion of Honor by the French government, the Cross of Honor for Science and Art by the Austrian government, and was nominated for the Nobel prize for Literature by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Today he is still an active writer, his latest work, an overview of political concentration camps in WWII, was launched at the Konzorcij book store in Ljubljana on August 27th.