
Dr Uroš Grilc has been closely connected with books, book culture and the development of reading culture throughout his professional life. As a PhD student in philosophy, he was already the secretary of the Society for Theoretical Psychoanalysis and learned about the laws of academic publishing, both the publication of the scientific journal Problems and the book collection Analecta.
He is the author of a number of original scientific articles in the field of philosophy, as well as the book monograph On the Philosophy of Writing. He has translated into Slovene the French philosophers Derrida, Foucault and Lyotard, among others.
Since 2000, when he joined the Ministry of Culture and headed the Department for Books and Libraries, he has been responsible for the reform of support for publishing and the transition to systemic support for all links in the book chain. He signed the introduction of the LIBRARY SUPPORT system, which has remained virtually unchanged since 2004 and is now an important support for authors. He led the team that drafted the PUBLIC BOOK AGENCY LAW, which, in line with the objectives of the first National Programme for Culture 2004-2008, ensured that the State moved further away from decision-making on book support.
He is the author of several professional and scientific articles dealing with cultural and political models of book support and stressing the importance of reading and reading literacy for the development of the individual and society as a whole.
As Head of the Department of Culture at the Municipality of Ljubljana, he succeeded in his candidacy for, and then the exemplary implementation of, the title of LJUBLJANA-UNESCO WORLD BOOK CELEBRATION 2010, and then with the placement of Ljubljana among the UNESCO CITIES OF LITERATURE.
As Minister of Culture in 2013-2014, he signed the LAW ON THE UNIFORM PRICE OF BOOKS, thus increasing the accessibility of Slovenian books and regulating the Slovenian book market. First, by placing it in the National Programme for Culture 2014-2028 and then by the relevant government decisions, he started the process of two key international events for Slovenian publishing: Slovenia as a central guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Bologna Book Fair. Slovenia was also a key guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Bologna Book Fair.
Since 2015, he has been running the Škrateljc Institute, a boutique publishing house that connects books with nature in an innovative way, and reading culture with the presentation of natural and cultural heritage. He is the author of several picture books for children. The Škrateljc publishing house is building a TRANSVERSE OF LIVING-LIVING-TRAILS AROUND SLOVENIA (already 11 experiences all over Slovenia, from Krško to Štanjel, from Kubedo to Domžale, Vrhnika, Polhov Gradec…) and publishing a series of comic strips on the theme of the great epics of Slovenian history, most recently the comic strip Beavers, based on the appendix of Janez Jalns’ book. He is currently designing the content for the new Museum of Slovenian Language and Books, which will open its doors in 2025 at Štanjel Castle.