The jury described his collection of essays "Povest o knjigah" (Tale of Books) as a "touching homage to life's brief duration and immortality of good books".

Capuder was declared the winner of the prize late on Thursday in Ljubljana and will receive the accolade today in the village of Rašica, the birthplace of Primož Trubar (1508-1586), a Protestant reformer and the author of the first Slovenian printed book.

The author himself described the award-winning book as a "collection of situations in which the author has met with books".

The jury meanwhile said it was revealing a devotion to books that alters one's perception of life and other people thus marking life itself.

Capuder won against journalist Irena Štaudohar, film critic and journalist Marcel Štefančič jr., and poet and translator Uroš Zupan.

Last year the award went to Štefančič for "Kdor prej umre, bo dlje mrtev" (The One Who Dies First Will be Dead Longer) on the Slovenian nation in a time of crisis.