3 – 4 December, 2015
EPEKA and Romani kafenava, Maribor

You are cordially invited to join us to celebrate “This Happy Culture Day” on Thursday, 3 December and Friday, 4 December 2015. Among other things, we are organising a talk with the author of the book The Diplomat Martin Krpan, Dr. Milan Jazbec and the opening of an exhibition of illustrations by Marjan Manček (EPEKA, Koroška cesta 8, Maribor Romani kafenava, Gorkega 34, Maribor).

3 December 2015 from 17:00
EPEKA Gallery, Koroška cesta 8 and Romani kafenava, Gorkega 34, Maribor

On Prešeren’s birthday, a very special event will take place at the EPEKA Gallery: a conversation with Dr. Milan Jazbec, author of the book The Diplomat Martin Krpan
and an exhibition of Martin Krpan’s depictions by the artist, illustrator, cartoonist and comic artist, Marjan Manček.

Programme at the EPEKA Gallery:

3 December 2015

  • 17:00 Marjan Manček (reading and photography with children)
  • 18:00 Opening of the exhibition of Martin Krpan’s illustrations, work by Marjan Manček
  • 19:00 Discussion with Dr. Milan Jazbec and presentation of the book The Diplomat Martin Krpan, Forma 7 publishing house

4 December 2015

  • 12:00 Lunch with Marjan Manček at Romana kafenava, Gorkega 34, Maribor
    (reservations are required at or info@romani-kafenava.si)

Dr. Milan Jazbec

Dr. Milan Jazbec, former Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Turkey (2010-2015), non-resident accredited in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Syria; full professor of diplomacy at the University of Ljubljana. State Secretary for Defence Policy at the Ministry of Defence (2000-2004) and Head of Policy Planning and Research at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2010). Author of 33 books, 15 of them on diplomacy, including Diplomacied of New Small States: The case of Slovenia with some comparison from the Baltics (Ashgate, 2001), Security and Diplomacy in the Western Balkans (Ifimes, 2007) and Sociology of Diplomacy: Initial Reading (Istanbul University of Cultural Studies, 2014), as well as more than a hundred articles on diplomacy, security and defence, and related topics. Author of a novel on diplomacy, The Rainbow from Behind the Soul (Miš Publishing House, 2006, translated into Albanian and Turkish), and a collection of memoarised essays, A Slovene in Belgrade: 1987-1991 (two Slovene editions, translated into German and Turkish). Topics of special interest include the sociology of diplomacy, postmodern diplomacy, the history of Slovene diplomacy, and diplomacy and literature. Lecturer at various universities such as Columbia New York and Diplomatic Academy Vienna, and visiting professor at Ankara University: Bilkent, METU and Ankara University. In 2005 he was awarded the Austrian State’s highest decoration, the Grand Gold Medal of Honour with Star of Merit for the Republic of Austria.

Marjan Manček

Marjan Manček (1948) attended primary and secondary school in his hometown of Novo mesto and graduated from the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana with a degree in English and History. He was a teacher for a few months and then editor of the youth press at the publishing house Borec for a year. For thirty-five years he worked freelance as a cartoonist, illustrator and film animator.

He published his first cartoons in the humorous weekly Pavliha when he was still in grammar school. During his studies, he earned his living by drawing cartoons and short comic strips for Slovenian and foreign newspapers. His cartoons were published in two European anthologies of cartoon humour and satire, Opus International (Paris, 1972) and Satirikon (Berlin, 1980). He illustrated over 200 books (Mojca Pokrajculja, The Judgement of the Goat in Višnji Gora, Pedenjped, Kraljična na zrnu peha . In 1993, he transferred the hills, which first appeared in comics in youth magazines, to cartoons. He created an animated trailer and an artwork for a puppet for the TV show Curious Paw.

For the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, he designed the art for several puppet shows (Behind the Ninth Door, The Judgement of the Goat in Višnji Gora, Grofič Pig, Kindergarten at the Old Goat…). In his career as an illustrator, he has collaborated with many Slovenian poets and writers (Niko Grafenauer, Boris A. Novak, Polonca Kovač, Slavko Pregl, Miroslav Košuta, Berta Golob …). He has had solo and group exhibitions both at home and abroad (Ankara, Bratislava, Barcelona, Udine, etc.), and his films have been screened at film festivals in Portorož, Belgrade, Krakow, Annecy, Chicago, etc.
He has received numerous awards for his work – both as an illustrator and for his animated films. Among the most important are the Golden Pen of Belgrade (1977), the Levstik Award (1977), the award for the best children’s book at the 12th Slovenian Book Fair (1995) and the animation awards at the Slovenian Film Animation Festival in Izola (2000 and 2004).

Author’s books and picture books:

  • Brundo is Playing (1978)
  • Brundo is Jumping (1979)
  • Kitten Mjav (1980)
  • Puppy Vuf (1980)
  • Chicken Pick (1980)
  • Uh Bunny (1980)
  • What Will You Be When You’re Big? (1981)
  • One, Two, Three (1981)
  • Brundo Counts (1981)
  • Who’s Homo S? (1982)
  • The Alphabet Book (1983)
  • The Elephant and a Half (1984)
  • The Blue Teddy Bear (1987)
  • Brundo the Little Roar (1988)
  • When We Are Happy and When We Are Sad (1989)
  • The Great Thoughts of Little Puss : 100 Sayings from All Winds (1990)
  • What’s the Matter? (1994)
  • What are you doing, Dajnomir? (verbs) (1994)
  • Hills? What? Who? (nouns) (1994)
  • Where? Where? When? How? (adverbs and propositions) (1995)
  • Who? Whose? (pronouns) (1995)
  • How many? Which? (numerals) (1995)
  • Cufek (1995)
  • From the diary of Medka the bee (1997)

Comics:

  • Robin of the Isle of Zon (1976, PIL)
  • Nace bez face (1978, PIL)
  • Homo S (1978, Diary)
  • Cicibaba (1978/2004, Ciciban)
  • Big Thoughts of a Little Kitten (1980, PIL; 1990, album)
  • Dajnomir in Miliboža (1981 – 1991, Kurirček)
  • Dajnomir in Miliboža (1984, album) (COBISS)
  • The Goldfish (1985, Ciciban)
  • The Judgement of the Goats in Višnji Gora (1986, PIL)
  • Cufek, the Cuckoo on Duty (1987, PIL)
  • The Adventures of Clara (1990, PIL)
  • Hribci: Tales from the Prehistoric Times (1993, album) (COBISS)
  • The Hills: Hreča ne restiva (1993, album) (COBISS)
  • The Hills: What are you doing Dajnomir? (1994, album) (COBISS)
  • What animals expect from the Olympics : a flying parrot reporter reports (1996, album) (COBISS)
  • Cufek and Friends (1996, album) (COBISS)
  • Cufek (1998, Cicido)
  • Leo (1998, Ciciban)
  • Hen Would Fly (2002, Ciciban)
  • Pipi chick is looking for (2002 onwards, Petka)
  • Blue Teddy Bear (from 2004 onwards, Cicido)
  • The White Gull (2005, Gull)
  • Comics (2006, mini album) (COBISS)
  • The Quartz Hills (2011, album) (COBISS)

Original Films:

  • Shelter (1982)
  • After Work Rest (1982)
  • Ljubo at Home (1985)
  • On the Line (1989)
  • The Hills – Breakfast, The Right Way, Trophy (1993)
  • How to Get Rid of a Cat (2000)
  • Be (2003)

Awards and distinctions:

  • Special and second prize – World Cartoon Gallery, Skopje 1971 and 1972,
  • Prize for a picture book at the Slovenian Book Fair, Ljubljana 1977,
  • Belgrade Golden Pen plaque, Belgrade 1977,
  • Levstik Award, Ljubljana, 1977,
  • 1st Prize at the International Book Fair, Belgrade, 1978,
  • Golden Picture Book Award, Ljubljana 1980,
  • 3rd prize, commendation and plaque at the International Book Fair, Belgrade 1981, 1985 and 1990,
  • 2nd prize for the cartoon Pjer, Belgrade 1982,
  • Honourable mention at the 3rd International Simavi Cartoon Competition, Ankara 1985,
  • 2nd Prize at the Festival of Humour, Satire and Caricature, Ribnica 1988,
  • 1st Prize at the Hair on the Tongue Art Competition, Trieste 1988,
  • The Most Beautiful Slovenian Book Award at the Slovenian Book Fair, Ljubljana, 1995,
  • Plaque for the best animated film at the 1st Slovenian Animation Festival, Izola 2000,
  • Award for Animation at the 3rd Festival of Slovenian Animation, Izola 2004,
  • Levstik Award for Lifetime Achievement, Ljubljana 2007,
  • Hinko Smrekar Award, 9th Slovenian Biennial of Illustration, Ljubljana 2010,

More about the event at www.epeka.si and www.facebook.com/epeka.slovenia.
The exhibition is supported by the Municipality of Maribor.