Ana Bilic
Ana Bilic is a literary author, screenwriter and
View Rights PortalDar al Saqi is an award-winning independent publishing house based in Beirut. Founded in 1990, their books cover various subjects including children's and young adults’ for ages between 3 and 18.
View Rights PortalMr. Pillow is the best friend of all children. He is always there, especially at night, when the most important thing is to cuddle in his warm arms and listen to a bedtime story. In the book "Mr. Pillow and the Stars", the chubby and comical main character tells children about how he went on an incredible space adventure. He plays an idea generator, inventor, engineer, and astronaut. He assures children that they can make their dreams come true, and that little hicups on the way are only small steps on the way to the stars. This book promotes growth mindset. The explosion of colors, the emphasis on illustrationsa that can be explored endlessly, and the unique talent of the theatre designer to make each page filled with action, makes this book the best gift for young explorers.
It is a coming-of-age story for Generation Z. How to grow up or even live in a world where no steady jobs are available, you can’t pay your rent and can’t afford medical or living expenses. Moreover, it touches on how to be a socially engaged artist in such a world, and more so, a woman in a post-me too world? Dijana, a daughter of working-class immigrants, tells the story of her difficult childhood and adolescence, how should became a journalist and later a writer in a society full of prejudices, glass ceilings and obstacles. How she gradually became a stereotypical ‘success story’, even though she still struggles with writing, because she can’t afford a ‘room of her own’. Dijana is a daughter of working-class immigrants, who came to Slovenia in the eighties in search of a better future. The family is building a house but is made redundant from the local factory when Yugoslavia is in the midst of an economic crisis. When her parents get divorced, Dijana, her older sister and mother struggle with basic needs. She is ashamed of their poverty, her classmates bully her because of her immigrant status, but mostly because of her being ‘white trash’. In the local school she meets teachers with prejudices against immigrants, but is helped by a librarian who spots her talent. When Dijana goes to secondary school, she moves in with her older sister who lives in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Her sister is into rave culture and Dijana starts to explore experimenting with drugs, music and dance. At the secondary school, she is again considered ‘the weird kid’, as she isn’t enough of a foreigner for other immigrant kids because she is from the country, yet she isn’t Slovenian enough for other native kids. She falls even deeper into drug addiction, fails the first year of school and has to move back to live with her mother. She takes on odd jobs to make ends meet. Whilst working as a waitress she encounters sexism and sexual violence from customers and abuse from the boss. She finishes night school and graduates. She meets many ‘lost’ people of her generation along the way, who tell her their stories about precarious, minimum wage jobs, lack of opportunities, expensive rent, etc. Dijana writes for numerous newspapers but loses or quits her job, because she isn’t allowed to write the stories she wants or because of the bad working conditions or the blatant sexual harassment. Due to the high rent in the capital, Dijana has to move to the countryside to live with her mother. She feels lonely there, struggles with anxiety and cannot write a second book, because she is constantly under pressure to make a living. She realises that she must persevere regardless of the obstacles, she must follow her inner truth and by writing about it, try to create a community of like-minded people, a community of people who support each other – all literature/art is social.
Rajni Sari, princess of Rainusa is forced to flee from the palace to catch up with her mother, Lastika. Together with Jaka, a market thug appointed as the palace guard, Sari goes through various adventures and faces powerful adversaries. The love between Sari and Jaka grows, but her destiny as Lastika's daughter, who turns out to be Calon Arang, separates herself and Jaka. Sari prefers her mother. Unable to reject the legacy of strength from her mother, Sari relents and accepts her mother's orders to become her successor, the ruler of dark powers. Sari is on the crossroads: following her mother's orders or following her heart's wishes. Sari's choice then triggers a new fight between Light and Darkness, namely Barong and Calon Arang, which will simultaneously determine Rainusa's future. Favorite Winner in the 2019 Comico x Elex E-Novel Challenge Contest.
Pendidikan Tauhidik digerakkan oleh Guru Rabbani merupakan pendidikan yang mengutamakan peningkatan nilai kemanusiaan. Mereka berusaha menyuburkan kasih sayang di sebalik kesukaran dan cabaran yang dihadapi semasa mendidik. Bagi mereka, setiap cabaran membawa bersama peluang untuk menambahbaik kualiti Pendidikan Tauhidik. Semangat mendidik terus subur dan pengalaman terus diperkayakan bila setiap kali berhadapan dengan cabaran. Mereka sentiasa bermuhasabah dalam setiap gerak kerja bagi memastikan tindakan yang diambil akan mendapat keredaan daripada Allah Subhanahu wa taala. Sejajar dengan ini, mereka sentiasa bersiapsiaga untuk mengemaskini ilmu pengetahuan, kemahiran dan kepakaran dalam bidang pendidikan yang telah dipilih sebagai kerjaya. Kesediaan untuk membuktikan Pendidikan Tauhidik sebagai pendekatan yang terbaik mendorong Guru Rabbani untuk bersikap lebih terbuka, lebih penyayang, lebih empati dengan bertindak secara kritis, kreatif dan inovatif. Mereka akan lebih peka, proaktif dan berstrategik dalam mendapatkan kaedah pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang terbaik. Mereka akan berpedomankan ajaran Islam dengan menjadikan para anbiya sebagai model guru terbaik untuk diteladani dalam menjayakan pendekatan Pendidikan Tauhidik.
“Anyone looking for a goal will remain empty when it will be reached, but whoever finds a way, will always carry the goal inside.” Nejc Zaplotnik THE PATH is a novel by Slovenian author and climber Nejc Zaplotnik (1952-1983). It was first published in Ljubljana 1981. The book narrates, in a novelized way, Zaplotnik’s life and experiences as an alpinist in postwar Slovenia, culminating in the ascension of both Makalu and Everest. It is 41 years since Andrej Štremfelj and Nejc Zaplotnik made history as the first Slovenians who reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world. By 1979, the summit of Mount Everest had been reached by every major ridge, yet a large expedition from Yugoslavia arrived to top their last achievement of making the first ascent of Makalu South Face. The West Ridge of Everest was a long unconventional line to the top. It was first climbed by the Americans in 1963, and is still well celebrated in the United States today. Except the Americans climbed only the upper half. The Yugoslavians came to traverse it all starting at the base, low in the Lho La pass. Like many national expeditions in those days, it was huge. It included 25 Yugoslavian mountaineers, 19 Sherpas, three cooks, three kitchen boys, two mail runners, 700 porters and 18 tons of gear. The ascent had to overcome a steep and severe gap, which required a winch to overcome so it was possible to haul the gear over the broken portion of the ridge. All efforts and ingenuity combined, the Yugoslavians positioned three Slovenian climbers at Camp V who were close to each other, Nejc Zaplotnik, Andrej Stremfelj, and Andrej’s brother, Marko Stremfelj. The aim of the expedition was to climb the West Ridge, first time in history. An expedition that worked in the spirit of a time when collective consciousness ruled to achieve a goal would not work as it did if it were not logistically and organizationally well managed. From Khumbu Glacier at 5350 m, where the base camp was located, rises 700m high rock wall of the Lho La saddle, followed by a 1200-meter-high slope of the Western Shoulder, continuing into a 2500-meter long, laid but sharp and windy ridge, at the end of which is the beginning of the steep and vibrant peak of the Everest Pyramid. Because the wall of the Lho-La saddle was overhanging in the upper part, cargo could not be carried on the back, so Stefan Marenče constructed a manual ropeway at home, with the help of which more than 5 tonnes of equipment was used for the altitude supply of the camps. The goal of the expedition was reached on 13 May 1979 at 13.51, when Andrej Štremfelj and Nejc Zaplotnik stood as the first Slovenes on the roof of the world. “We sit by the Chinese pyramid and we don’t know what to do!” (Nejc Zaplotnik) On May 15, 1979 at 2.30pm, Stane Belak-Schrauf, Croat Stipe Bozic and Sherpa Ang Phu also reached the summit. Ang Phu accidentally slipped 2000 meters deep onto the Chinese side when descending. Format: 18,8 x 12,5 cm 282 pages Paperback
The basic reasons for children to feel sad are the loss or separation from their favorite object or person. But the idea of separation itself can trigger the feeling of sadness. Regardless of whether the loss has actually happened or the child is merely thinking it could happen, the emotional need that occurs “behind” the feeling of sadness is the need for support, feeling secure, consolation, and replacing the lost. Picture books are focused on the following topics: - Hedgehog is sad because he didn’t win the game / Sadness due to failure or how to teach children that it is alright to feel sad, but that the only person to compare ourselves to is us alone, that one must always try hard and try again - Mouse is sad because he misses his parents / Sadness due to separations from parents or how to console children with simple messages when they miss the parents, how to convince them that they are safe and that their parents will be with them soon - Piglet is sad and jealous of his brother / Sadness due to insufficient attention or how to recognize sadness in children that is “concealed” behind some other emotion like jealousy because of lack of parental attention - Giraffe is sad because grandpa is gone / Sadness due to losing a loved one or how to explain to a child what it means to “die” and provide them with consolation after a family death
THE VISITWritten by Gaja KosIllustrated by Ana Zavadlav An unusual story about unusual friends.This entertaining picture book by the critic, editor, translator and author of three children’s books, Gaja Kos, takes place somewhere in Central America, where a sloth and a tapir live, one in the tree top and the other down below. Because the tapir is very sociable, the day his new neighbour moves into his new tree top home, he invites him over. The sloth accepts the invitation, but there is something the tapir does not know about sloths: there is one problem with them – they are really, really, really very slow … Format: 20.5 x 26 cm | 24 pages | Age: 4+
Indian architecture is not an object in space; it integrates space within the object, where the built and the unbuilt become counterpoints to vitalize each other. The alchemy of the two sustains the space and the life within. The void within the built—the courtyard—lies at the genesis of the urban dwelling form in India across geography and time. In ancient Indian sciences, the courtyard assumes the central position as Brahmasthana, the nucleus of the living environment. It provided for an open-to-sky outdoor space while being away from the public eye and thus suited an introverted lifestyle. In this book, the author traces the metaphysical, mythical, socio-cultural, environmental and spatial roles of the courtyard in the domestic architecture of India—from early civilization and Vedic times to Islamic and colonial influences. This volume documents traditional and vernacular courtyard dwelling types across India within diverse climatic, cultural as well as geographic zones such as western (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra), southern (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa), eastern (Bihar, West Bengal), central (Madhya Pradesh) and northern (Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.). It then discerns the spatial elements constituting the court, and the arts, the crafts as well as the elements integral to the court. Illustrated with splendid photographs and representative drawings, the book attempts to understand the presence and resolution, continued use and adaptation as well as the diverse interpretations and abstractions of the courtyard. Yatin Pandya is an author, activist, academician, researcher as well as a practising architect with his firm FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H. (Environment Architecture Research Technology Housing). He is a graduate of CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and holds a Master of Architecture degree from McGill University, Montreal. Pandya has been involved with city planning, urban design, mass housing, architecture, interior design and product design as well as conservation projects. He has authored numerous papers, which have appeared in national and international journals, and has produced several documentary films on architecture. During his tenure at the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation, Pandya worked on the publications Concepts of Space in Traditional Indian Architecture and Elements of Spacemaking, published by Mapin and now in their fourth reprint, which have won the Indian Institute of Architects’ (IIA) Award for Architectural Excellence in Research in the years 2012 and 2014, respectively. The research leading to this book was also carried out during his time at Vastu-Shilpa Foundation. He is a visiting faculty at the National Institute of Design and CEPT University, and a guest lecturer at various universities in India and abroad. The recipient of numerous national and international awards for research, design and dissemination, Pandya counts environmental sustainability, socio-cultural appropriateness, timeless aesthetics and economic affordability to be key principles of his work.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STRANGER LIGHT (Najlepša neznanka svetloba) The novel’s starting point is six portraits on the desk of the main character. These photographs show the people closest to him, with whom his life to date, its determinants, longings, regrets, captivity, the possibility of liberation, has been connected. Through fragments of memory, their stories are woven into a common story about their past, torn between the seemingly carefree life in the late nineteenth century until the 1920s, when the looming shadows of world events reached Slovenia. In this novel about liberation achieved through the clearing of an individual’s past and his family’s, about everyday melancholy and the melancholy of everyday life, which nevertheless includes some of what makes life exciting and precious, the main character keeps wondering what distance to choose for the best photographic result, as well as how close to let someone come without letting them penetrate his isolation.
ANDERSEN'S GOLDEN FAIRY TALES Translated by Silvana Orel Kos directly from the Danish. Illustrated by Suzi Bricelj, Jože Ciuha, Zvonko Čoh, Bojana Dimitrovski, Kostja Gatnik, Marjanca Jemec Božič, Marjan Manček, Lidija Osterc, Jelka Reichman, Marija Lucija Stupica and Marlenka Stupica. This rich and luxurious anthology of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen contains 37 fairy tales translated by Silvana Orel Kos directly from the Danish, with images by Slovenia’s finest illustrators: Suzi Bricelj, Jože Ciuha, Zvonko Čoh, Bojana Dimitrovski, Kostja Gatnik, Marjanca Jemec Božič, Marjan Manček, Lidija Osterc, Jelka Reichman, Marija Lucija Stupica, and Marlenka Stupica. “Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) is a great classical writer who addresses readers of all generations in his many stories. His view of human nature is in many ways so distinctive that it is on a level comparable to that of the world’s greatest writers and philosophers.” - Andrej Ilc"The whole world in all its diversity is to be found In Andersen's fairy tales - happy and poetic, tragic, petty, tolerant and malicious, and throughout overflowing like life itself. His tales arouse curiosity, doubt and tolerance, force us to think about how and why, and help us feel at home on this planet. It' is marvellous to have them.” - Polonca Kovač“This large, thick book is just as gorgeous as these wonderful tales deserve.” - Sonja Javornik, Vklop & Stop magazine Number of pages: 384 Format: 205 x 260 x 36 cm
NOMINATED FOR THE KRESNIK AWARD IN 2019 (FOR THE BEST NOVEL IN SLOVENIA). THE LOONY HOUSE ON THE HILL (Norhaus na hribu) “Oh, believe me, this woman, who is still so young, did all this. She killed someone, disposed of the body and concealed it all.” This sentence in the introduction to the novel surprises us, but still does not prepare us for what follows. The main character, Ariana, whose mother disappeared when Ariana was still very little, lives in a tense, conflictive relationship with her aunt, in the remote village of Privežice. The place which, as noted by the merciless observer and commentator Ariana, appeared around the madhouse on the hill at the end of the paved road, where one of the inmates was her grandmother. What happens is not a typical love story or a typical story about getting to know oneself, although it talks precisely about this. What distinguishes this novel above all else is the lively, flowing dialogue, and the uncompromising, direct aesthetics (sometimes involving ugliness or at least uncouthness or lack of political correctness), which grabs us and takes us on a crazy adventure.
THE FIRST LADY (Prva dama) This novel is a reworking, in minimalist style and condensed manner, of the Biblical story of the beautiful Bathsheba and King David. The king’s “controversial” wife is an archetypal femme fatale, who is aware of her charms also in an emancipatory sense and, regardless of the means and victims, in an almost mathematically calculating way exchanges them for a “better” life – marriage to the educated king loved by his people and through this a climb up the social ladder, a better position, and consequently better pay and independence. Although Bathsheba’s life seems like a fairy tale, inside her grows a nagging feeling of guilt. Using fate and god as an excuse does not bring her peace, but pushes her towards self-destructive behaviour.
HERBS OF THE LITTLE WITCHWritten by Polonca Kovač and illustrated by Ančka Gošnik Godec The little witch is a friendly witch, and she knows not only how to turn a mean mouse into a friendly one but also all about the magic secrets of healing herbs. This is a classic prizewinning Slovene illustrated book, which can be picked up again and again and enjoyed in all its charms great and small, including its descriptions and methods of using more than 30 healing herbs. The book Herbs of the Little Witch was selected for the Ibby Honour List 2000. Format: 23 x 29.5 cm76 pages | Age: 4+
Nominated for The Kresnik Award in 2019 (Award for the best novel in Slovenia). The first body of a man is discovered by the police in a prestigious city quarter, in the villa belonging to one of the most successful lawyers in Rome. This murder is followed by a traffic accident at the other end of Rome and a suicide of a mafia boss in prison. But coincidences exist only in novels, says the chief police investigator. By examining the events behind the scenes, Pogodba, through juicy language, lively dialogues and unexpected plot twists takes the reader into the very heart of mafia activities. The detectives, prosecutors, journalists and politicians often share past connections. Their love affairs and friendships are interwoven with their professional duties, and the lines between where the state ends and the mafia begins, are very fuzzy.
THE PESKY TRIO: PESTS FROM THE WARDROBEWritten by Andrej E. SkubicIllustrated by Tanja Komadina What a scare Lija gets from a puppet made out of clothes by her sister Adela! The Pesky Trio decide to strike back. What will happen? Sometimes a “joke” can cause real fear. How to act when you are being intimidated? Format: 14 x 20 cm72 pages | Age: 6+
JUST LIKE A FILMWritten by Vinko MöderndorferIllustrated by Damijan Stepančič Gašper’s parents are getting a divorce. His mother moves out, and his father takes Gašper to stay with Max. Gašper has never seen this old man before, but he and Max become friends, and this leads to a new astonishing revelation which turns Gašper’s world upside down. Winner of all the top awards for YA literature in Slovenia (Blue Bird Award, Desetnica,Večernica). Nominated for the Book Trust fund. Format: 14 x 20 cm340 pages | Age: 10+
I AM ANDREJWritten by Vinko MöderndorferIllustrated by Jure Engelsberger Fifteen-year old Andrej has started a new school and has lots of problems. It starts with his name, then the fact that his parents are divorced, plus he’s supposed to be popular … But it is not all bad. He makes friends with the unique Sonja. Gradually, life gets better and better … Nominated for the Desetnica Award in 2019 Format: 14 x 20 cm184 pages | Age: 12+
WHALE ON A BEACHWritten by Vinko Möderndorfer Whale on a Beach is a story about differentness, normality and about the many struggles involved in growing up for modern-day teenagers, caught between family and peers. Theatrical premiere in Ljubljana in September 2018. Nika, a lively, curious teenager, moves house with her parents. She goes to a new school now, in a new place with new classmates. All seems lovely and just as it should be. Nika is popular, she makes friends easily; she is outgoing and witty. But it turns out that she keeps a secret; a secret that quickly gets out of the bag and will now change the lives of everyone around her... This heartwarming story about accepting difference is bound to appeal to young adults and adults, too. Winner of the Desetnica Award 2017, IBBY Honour List 2018. Format: 14 x 20 cm224 pages | Age: 12+
The life story of BORIS PAHOR (1913), a Slovene writer and centenarian, is at the same time a story about one of the most turbulent centuries in human history. With his clear standpoints and engagement, the author has always challenged current authorities and found himself in some of the most difficult situations of the 20th century. That’s How I Lived is also a story about Trieste and the lives of the people who moved there from rural areas, about the sad fates of Pahor’s patriotic friends and, of course, about his own Calvary through the Third Reich’s concentration camps. It offers an insight into Pahor’s private life, his first experiences of love and the first meetings with people with similar intellectual views and allies. The reader follows Pahor through his much-noticed conflicts with Slovene politicians and his activities on the international stage in favour of the rights of minority cultures. The narrative is supplemented with documents and photographs.
PIMPLES, LOVE, AND OTHER LIFE PROBLEMSWritten by Urška Kaloper During puberty, the body changes, and so does the way we experience ourselves and the world. We encounter our first loves, and the first disappointments that inevitably follow. How to cope? Ana, Nina, Miha, Luka, Nika, Eva, Maja and Tina also have a whole bunch of problems growing up, but they deal with them in a fun as well as instructive way. Pick up this book and join them! Their stories will certainly help you solve many problems. Format: 16,5 x 23,8 cm202 pages | Age: 11+