Boris Pahor or the originality of slovenian literature in Trieste. Like the cities of Italy, Central Europe and Balkans, the inhabitants of Trieste have in the past and still enjoy today a cosmopolitan culture. An important centre of Slovenian cultural and political life developed in Trieste during the 19th century. After 1918, when the city became Italian, the Slovenian minority suffered under the régime of Mussolini. One of the greatest exponents of Slovenian literature in Trieste is Boris Pahor (born in 1913). The article deals with his work, which is classical in style and largely based on personal expérience. Two events which marked the life of the writer are reflected in ail his work: the fire set by young Italian Fascists who burnt down the Slovenian cultural centre in Trieste in 1920 and the author's life in Nazi death camp during the Second World War where Pahor had been sent as a member of the résistance. In spite of this tragic background, Pahor's vision of life remains full an optimistic one, reflected in his writings.