By: Lea Kalc Furlanič
One of the inappropriate moves of Golob’s government is being announced. This is happening at the municipal level, but it involves the preservation of the legacy of one of the greatest Slovenian writers, Ciril Kosmač.
It involves the sale of public cultural heritage, Kosmač’s memorial house. According to all ethical principles, the house should remain in public ownership, filled with content emphasising the cultural and national value of the writer who lived and created there for most of his life. Literary historians speak of Kosmač, stating that his “narrative work, due to the individuality of his literary poetics and exceptional style characterised by the balance of beauty and communicative clarity, ranks among the most important creations of contemporary Slovenian prose”.
MINISTER ASTA VREČKO WILL PROBABLY UNDERSTAND THAT CULTURE MUST BE ABOVE CAPITAL.
The owner of the house with a garden in Portorož, where Kosmač lived and worked from 1956 until his death in 1970, is the municipality of Piran, and since 2002, it has been managed by the Piran Library. Since the 1980s, the house with Kosmač’s memorial room has been dedicated to cultural events, creativity, and artistic gatherings of writers. In recent years, the library management has leased it to private individuals who marketed it for tourist purposes. It would be interesting to hear what Kosmač would say about this, considering that he created his best works in this place. What about the writers’ association, cultural ministers, or the association of museums and memorial objects?
Furthermore, what will they say now that the leaders of the Piran municipality have decided to sell Kosmač’s house? They quickly removed it from the library’s management and included it in the plan for the sale of municipal properties. It is believed that many are eager to participate in the municipal public auction, as it is a beautiful, traditional Istrian stone house with a well-maintained garden in an excellent location, not far from the centre of Portorož. At the local level, the matter has already stirred some controversy, but it might settle down soon unless the highest institution responsible for Slovenian culture, the Ministry of Culture, takes action. Minister Asta Vrečko will probably understand that culture must be above capital.