

Tone Pavček (1928–2011) was one of the most influential Slovenian poets, translators and essayists of the post-war generation. The poems in this collection are intended for primary school students and has a very interesting structure. It’s dialogical, as the poem on the left side of the double page converses with the poem on the right and both are connected with illustrations. It’s also composed of two voices: the poems on the left are spoken by a child and the ones on the right by an adult (this is the cohesive thread of the entire collection). Its topic is mainly concerned with coexistence: what can the two voices tell each other about life, happiness, growing up, and also about suffering. Illustrated by Igor Šinkovec, this poetry collection shines with humour, vitality, and a joie de vivre that Pavček was known for.