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Cultural Oppression
The Slovak Literary Center demands reinstatement of its director and calls for global solidarity
18.01.2025
The Slovak Literary Center (SLC) has issued a statement expressing concern over the dismissal of Pavel Sibyla from his position as Director of the Slovak Literary Center, calling for his reinstatement and urging the global cultural community not to remain indifferent. The Slovak Literary Center sent a letter with the statement to Chytomo.
“We are observing with great concerns the current cultural-political developments in the EU-member-state Slovakia […]. For one year the Slovak government addresses openly their conservative, nationalistic, anti-EU and pro-Russian positions, and already proven to be a great danger to the freedom of art, humanities, culture and literature in Slovakia,” the statement reads.
The statement expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of Slovakia’s new Minister of Culture, Martina Šimkovičová (nominee of SNS), who “showed with her various actions the direction cultural policy is now taking in Slovak republic: refusing any further support to LGBTQ+ and other minorities projects, dismissal of the directors of the most important cultural institutions such as National Gallery, Bibiana-International House of Art for Children, Slovak National Library, Slovak National Theatre…”
The Slovak Literary Center is currently headed by writer and journalist Gustáv Murín. According to the Ministry of Culture, the decision to change leadership was made to “ensure the organization’s stable operation”. Moreover, the Ministry characterizes Murín as a specialist with extensive experience in literature, journalism, and international cooperation.
According to SLC representatives, Murín is a well-known author of conspiracy literature who also blogs and spreads conspiratorial narratives on his channels. He is also a frequent guest on local platforms that according to SLC spread disinformation. “Infovojna” and “Zem a Vek” named among them.
The statement further highlights instances of sexism from the current SLC director—Murín, in 2003, as head of the Slovak PEN, “attacked” the “Fifth Woman” initiative against domestic violence, calling it “false”.
“Gustáv Murín’s far-right worldview is in sharp contrast to the democratic principles of a EU Member State. His long-standing public appearance is toxic and vulgarly offensive, especially towards women working in culture or politics, that, among other things, illustrates the title of his book published recently: “Feminism, the Third Evil,” the statement added.
“Now the free Slovak literary scene is under threat. We stand together for democracy, diversity, and the freedom of art. We support Slovak writers and other professionals in Slovak book culture and industry, who can experience professional exclusion or intimidation due to their political attitudes,” the SLC stated.
On Jan. 8, 2025, writer Pavel Sibyla was dismissed from his position as Director of the Slovak Literary Center without explanation. According to SLC representatives, the dismissal took place two days before he was supposed to go on parental leave. Pavel Sibyla said he was not surprised by the dismissal, as he had heard rumors that he “was on the list of inconvenient directors of cultural institutions.”
The Slovak Literary Center is a public organization that supports and promotes Slovak literature abroad through translations and participation in international book fairs in Bologna, Frankfurt, and London.
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