"Citizen of Europe" Prof. Boris Pahor died in Trst/Trieste in the 109th year of his life

30.05.2022

Tiskovno sporočilo - Svet Slovenskih Organizacij

Prof. Boris Pahor bo za vedno zgled predanosti človeku in slovenskemu narodu

Svet slovenskih organizacij se klanja prof. Borisu Pahorju ob njegovi smrti in izraža sinu Adrijanu, hčerki Maji in ostalim ožjim sorodnikom iskreno in občuteno sožalje ter bližino.

Prof. Boris Pahor je bil del slovenske narodne skupnosti, ki je po prvi svetovni vojni prešla pod Italijo. S to narodno skupnostjo je delil svetle in temne trenutke ter z leti postal vodilna osebnost na področju kulture, umetnosti in politike. Izkušnja fašističnega tlačenja Slovencev na Primorskem in trpljenje v nacističnih taboriščih so Borisa Pahorja izoblikovali v velikega evropskega in svetovnega humanista, ki je dostojanstvo človekove osebe in življenja postavljal vedno na prvo mesto. Prizadevanje za osnovne človekove pravice ga je zaznamovalo za vse življenje. Na tem temelju je nastalo svoje verjetno najbolj poznano knjižno delo Nekropola, ki je doživela svetovni uspeh. Bil je bil prejemnik številnih priznanj, med katerimi Prešernovo nagrado, srebrni častni znak Republike Slovenije in francoski red legije časti. V tem smislu je s svojo osebo, na katero so se obračali svetovni mediji, bil prvi ambasador Slovencev v Italiji.

Prof. Boris Pahor je bil med tistimi, ki so doživeli požig Narodnega doma v Trstu. To ga je zaznamovalo in se je odražalo v svojih številnih knjižnih in literarnih stvaritvah. V poseben ponos nam je, da smo skupaj z njim 13. julija 2020 proslavili vrnitev te simbolne in zgodovinske slovenske palače. Posebno simbolno moč je pri tem imela podelitev najvišjih državnih priznanj, ki sta jih prof. Borisu Pahorju izročila predsednika Italije in Slovenije.

Med Slovenci na Tržaškem in tudi v širši deželni razsežnosti je bil prof. Boris Pahor pobudnik revij, ki so v slovensko javnost uvajale sodobne zamisli o narodni prihodnosti. Prav te zamisli so danes še aktualne. Poseben pomen Pahorjevi viziji o slovenskem narodu daje njegova prepričanost in vztrajnost pri zagovarjanju in doslednosti, za kar je osebno drago plačal. Kot zgledni primer tega želimo poudariti njegov tesen odnos s slovenskim književnikom, filozofom, poetom in politikom Edvardom Kocbekom, kateremu je omogočil izpoved o izvensodnih pobojih slovenskih domobrancev v prvih povojnih letih. Pri tem pa je prof. Boris Pahor ohranil visoko vrednost narodno-osvobodilnega boja slovenskega naroda proti fašistični in nacistični okupaciji ter preganjanju. Boris Pahor se tako uvršča med glavne borce proti totalitarizmom, saj je moral na svoji koži okusiti hude posledice fažizma, nacizma in komunizma, ki so v 20. stoletju kruto prizadeli naše kraje, Evropo in svet.

Z odhodom prof. Borisa Pahorja se v slovenski narodni skupnosti odpira velika praznina, ki jo bo mogoče zapolniti le z zvestobo načelom, na podlagi katerih je prof. Boris Pahor živel, delal in ustvarjal. Naša naloga bo torej, da kot slovenska narodna skupnost v Italiji še naprej vztrajamo pri najvišjem vrednotenju naše narodne identitete in jezika, enotnosti in narodne svetovljanskosti, ki slovenski narod uvršča v evropsko družino osnovano na spoštovanju človeškega življenja in dostojanstva osebe.

Dragi porf. Boris Pahor naj vam bo lahka slovenska zemlja in Bog-Oče milostljiv plačnik. Počivajte v zasluženem miru.

Trst, 30. maja 2022                                                                       Svet slovenskih organizacij

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Press release - Council of Slovenian Organisations

Prof.. Boris Pahor will forever be an example of devotion to the people and the Slovenian nation

The Council of Slovenian Organisations bows to Prof. Dr. Boris Pahor on his death and expresses its sincere and heartfelt condolences and closeness to his son Adrian, daughter Maja and other close relatives.

Prof.. Boris Pahor was part of the Slovenian national community that fell under Italy after the First World War. He shared bright and dark moments with this national community and over the years became a leading figure in the field of culture, art and politics. Boris Pahor's experiences of fascist oppression of Slovenes in the Primorska region and suffering in the Nazi camps made him a great European and world humanist who always put the dignity of the human person and human life first. The pursuit of fundamental human rights shaped him throughout his life. It was on this basis that he wrote his best-known book, "The City of the Dead", which became a global success. He received numerous awards, including the Prešeren Prize, the Silver Decoration of the Republic of Slovenia and the French Order of the Legion of Honour. In this sense, he was the first Slovenian ambassador in Italy to be addressed by the world media.

Prof. Boris Pahor was among those who witnessed the burning of the Narodni dom in Trieste. This left its mark on him and was reflected in his numerous literary and literary creations. We are particularly proud to have celebrated the return of this symbolic and historic Slovenian palace on 13 July 2020. The award of the highest state recognitions by Prof. The President of Italy and Slovenia was presented to Boris Pahor.

Among Slovenes in Trieste and also in the wider regional dimension, Prof. Boris Pahor is the initiator of magazines that presented modern ideas about the national future to the Slovenian public. It is these ideas that are still relevant today. Pahor's vision of the Slovenian nation is given special significance by his conviction and persistence in advocacy and consistency, for which he personally paid dearly. As an example, we would like to highlight his close relationship with the Slovenian writer, philosopher, poet and politician Edvard Kocbek, to whom he facilitated a confession about the extrajudicial killings of Slovenian home guards in the early post-war years. In doing so, Prof. Boris Pahor upheld the high value of the national liberation struggle of the Slovenian nation against fascist and Nazi occupation and persecution. Thus, Boris Pahor belongs to the main fighters against totalitarianism, as he felt the heavy consequences of fascism, national socialism and communism, which hit our places, Europe and the world hard in the 20th century.

With the departure of Prof. Boris Pahor, a big gap opens up in the Slovenian national community, which can only be filled by fidelity to the principles on the basis of which Prof. Boris Pahor lived, worked and created. Our task will therefore be that we, as a Slovene national community in Italy, continue to insist on the highest value of our national identity and language, unity and national openness to the world, which places the Slovene nation in a European family based on respect for human life and dignity.

Dear Porf. Boris Pahor, may the bright Slovenian land and God the Father be a merciful payer to you. Rest in deserved peace.

Trieste, 30 May 2022 Council of Slovenian Organisations

Photo: Claude Truong-Ngoc / Wikimedia Commons - cc-by-sa-3.0