In the Jaws of UDBA: Igor Omerza about the secret political surveillance of Boris Pahor

The Trieste-based writer was under the watchful eye of the State Security Service

The reason for the surveillance was Pahor’s writing for several magazines across the border and in Slovenia. Foto: Borut Zivulovic /BoBo

"As its author I don’t want to assess my book. But I can methodologically say that it is very authentic," said Igor Omerza, adding that his book is based on documentation from the former State Security Service.

The “Mohorjeva družba” publishing house from Klagenfurt presented the book titled Boris Pahor - In the Jaws of UDBA, which documents the almost 40-year-long secret surveillance of Pahor, carried out by the former State Security Service (SDV). According to Omerza the book is based on material found in the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, which is why it is very much authentic.

According to Omerza, the book documents the undercover surveillance of Pahor from the years 1952 to 1989. It features 62 procedures carried out directly or indirectly by 89 members of the State Security Service and its collaborators.

Omerza says that Pahor was monitored by the SDV in more ways - including secret house searches of his home in Trieste, his offices in Dutovlje and his sister’s house in Trieste. His home in Trieste was bugged with hidden microphones, his mail was read and his telephone conversations were listened to. In that way secret agents found about a promise made by Edvard Kocbek to Pahor in 1975, that he would publicly speak out about the post-war killings of the Domobranci (Home Guards). Omerza’s book also features transcripts of some of the conversations obtained by eavesdropping.

Omerza says that the SDV reports on Pahor were received by many high-ranking officials of the former communist party and state, including Stane Dolanc, Edvard Kardelj, Mitja Ribičič, Franc Popit and Milan Kučan.
The reason for the surveillance was Pahor’s writing for several magazines across the border and in Slovenia, like for example in the Nova Revija journal, as well as his involvement in the Zaliv magazine and his taking part in meetings of Slovene intellectuals.

The book also features two documents from the SDV, in which, according to Omerza, it is clear that historian Jože Pirjevec gave reports about Pahor to the Italian Intelligence Sevice DIGOS in 1988. Pirjevec has denied this while speaking to the Trieste-based Primorski dnevnik daily, but Omerza says he does not believe what Pirjevec says, adding that the documents he obtained are very much authentic.

A. K., MMC; translated by K. J.