Mihaela Cik, Kolo

Although it deals with the past, The End of Mr Trombetassicz iz unquestionably relevant. This book is not one of those historic novels blindly sticking to historiographical sources. Gregur does take the facts as a starting point and his protagonists did once exist, but they are not great figures that usually appear in history textbooks and that gives him freedom in shaping their stories.

40th Slovenian Book Fair in Ljubljana dedicated to Croatia

Croatia will be the guest of honor at the 40th Slovenian Book Fair in Ljubljana (Slovenski knjižni sejem, 26th of November – 1st of December, 2024). Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Croatian Publishers and Booksellers Association, the program entitled „Croatian Literary Landscapes” will bring a taste of the rich diversity of the contemporary Croatian cultural spaces to the Slovenian audience: from Dalmatia, with Croatia’s most famous mountaineer Stipe Božić and novels by Jurica Pavičić and Robert Perišić, accross Lika with Damir Karakaš and urban landscapes of Zagreb with Nada Gašić and Zoran Ferić, all the way to the Northwest of the country, represented by Kristian Novak and Marko Gregur, and the Northeast, with Ivana Šojat and Dino Pešut.

Tea Tulić and Monika Herceg will present the new generation of poets, and Croatia’s best jazz pianist, Matija Dedić will celebrate our rich singer-songwriter tradition in a concert dedicated to the legendary Arsen Dedić. Last but not least, one of Croatia’s most renowned contemporary singer-songwriters, Zlatan Stipišić Gibonni, will promote a collection of stories inspired by his songs and written by 26 established Croatian authors.

The program will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Croatia’s greatest children’s author, Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić. To showcase Croatian visual arts in literature, works by illustrators Vendi Vernić and Klasja Habjan, as well as comic artists Irena Jukić Pranjić and Danijel Žeželj will be exhibited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miljenko Jergović on Hotel Tito

When something important happens in the literary arena, when a really great book is written, it is well worth pausing for a moment to celebrate it and contemplate the arrival of a magnificent new talent.

 

Julijana Matanović, author

The faces we carry in our memories, the objects we remember, the sentences that were spoken to us: all that will one day become text. In the last twenty years, personal stories became a dominant narrative model. Just when the readers, the critics and the journals began to predict its dawn, Especially During Summer confirmed that a real, deserved story can never go out of style.

30th Book Fair in Istria: A Celebration of the Microcosmos of Literature and Culture

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the book fair Sa(n)jam Knjige u Istri – Pula’s Festival of Books and Authors, which will take place from November 29th to December 8th, 2024, at the House of the Croatian Defenders in Pula. The festival's theme, Microcosmos, reflects the unique identity of Pula and Istria while embracing universal cultural and literary values.

First held in 1995, the festival’s longevity has instilled in its organizers a deep sense of responsibility to honor those who built it over the decades, as well as its loyal audience. The theme for this momentous milestone was chosen two years ago, aiming to celebrate the essence of Istria’s cultural microcosmos and convey it through literary and cultural programs accessible to broader public.

The 30th Sa(n)jam knjige u Istri offers a rich program featuring over 100 events and more than 100 authors from across the globe. Renowned guests such as Rob Riemen, Mihail Šiškin, Tanino Liberatore, Karolina Ramqvist, and Dubravka Stojanović will participate in festival’s programe, alongside celebrated authors like Dragan Velikić, Ivica Đikić, and Ante Tomić, who will promote their latest works. Complementing this literary diversity, the festival will feature around 30,000 titles from over 300 publishers, with a special focus on Italian publishers.

In addition to its literary highlights, the festival promises remarkable musical performances by Rambo Amadeus, Tereza Kesovija, and Sejo Sekson, along with exhibitions, performances, and concerts, adding another layer of cultural enrichment.

 

 

 

 

 

Drago Hedl on The Pit

Masterful refection of one country’s reality, a septic pit in which crime, false war merits, actual profiteering, political menace cloaked in cheap patriotism, bloodstained secrets of recent past and hypocrisy coming from those offering a bright future, are being fermented and accumulated.

Independent publisher Istros Books (UK) has published the English translation of the novel "Divljakuša/Wild Woman" by Marina Šur Puhlovski

Independent publisher Istros Books has published Wild Woman, English translation of the book by Marina Šur Puhlovski first released in 2018 under the title Divljakuša. For Divljakuša, Šur Puhlovski was awarded with V.B.Z.'s Award for the Best Unpublished Novel in 2018.

Marina Šur Puhlovski (2018) was born in Zagreb, where she graduated in Comparative Literature and Philosophy on the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. At the beginning of her career, she worked as a journalist and a literary critic, but later she dedicated herself exclusively to her literary work. She writes novels, short stories, prose poems, travelogues, memoires and essays.

Wild Woman" (Divljakuša, 2018.) is an anti-love story, set against a backdrop of economic hardship. Told through the undiluted language of thought and mania, the twists and turns of internal dialogue are brought alive by a narrator determined to find her true voice. It is a warning against letting life slip through one's fingers and a call for personal liberation and authenticity.

Wild Woman, set in 1970s Croatia, is the story of an everywoman. The story begins with a love affair between two students of literature, who bond through shared experiences and rush into the romantic dream of marriage. However, what at first seems idyllic to a young woman in love soon becomes a nightmare, as she finds herself the victim of an unscrupulous, lazy womaniser whom she must support financially and who often disappears without explanation, leaving her alone in unfamiliar surroundings. To break free of him, she must first break free of the constraints placed on her by her family, her community and tradition. She must go wild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kristian Novak’s The Case of My Own Peril wins the coveted Fric Award for best novel

In the last days of 2024, Kristian Novak’s most recent novel The Case of My Own Peril received one of the most prestigious regional literary prizes, Fric Award. The award, named after the nickname of the greatest Croatian writer, Miroslav Krleža, celebrates works of fiction written in Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian and Montenegrian languages and published in 2023/2024.

The jury selected this piercing tale about justice and corruption in modern-day Croatia among 6 finalists: Magdalena Blažević: Harvest Season  (Fraktura), Miljenko Jergović: The War (Fraktura), Kristian Novak: The Case of My Own Peril (OceanMore), Tanja Radović: Ode to Youth (Meandar Media), Marko Tomaš: A Book for Maja (VBZ) and Ante Tomić: Hope (Hena Com).

The jury elaborated their choice with the following statement: “In The Case of My Own Peril, Kristian Novak revisits the theme of the unsolvable suicide which is, like all suicides, fueled by the social violence. Much like in the previous novels, Novak asks his readers how come we, as a society, don't have a stance on violence, how come we consider it ''normal''.”

The Case of My Own Peril won all the major prizes in this literary season: Ksaver Šandor Gjalski Award for best work of prose, the Vladimir Nazor Award for Literature, a national award for achievements in arts and the Meša Selimović Award for best novel published in Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia.

Foto: (c) Iva Perković

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankfurt Book Fair 2019: Croatia and Rijeka 2020 in the Heart of Europe

The year 2020 is undeniably going to be a very important one for Croatia. In the first half of the year, Croatia is taking over the Council Presidency of the EU – an opportunity to put diversity and human rights at the heart of political and cultural dialogue. Following this, in February Rijeka will be pronounced the European Capital of Culture 2020. Under the motto “Port of Diversity”, Rijeka will introduce its multicultural heritage and contemporary cultural scene to a broad European audience.

This unique political and cultural constellation is an excellent opportunity to discuss a wide array of questions: How does the European literary field function? Is there a European literary network and if so, how are Croatia and Rijeka positioned within it? Can literary festivals and literary networks increase the awareness of diversity and alterity within the European context? These questions will be discussed by Roman Simić, the founder and director of the Festival of European Short Story, and Caroline Michel from Hay Festival, who will present an important literary cooperation taking place in Rijeka in the June of 2020 and introduce the project “Europa 28”, which is aimed at emphasizing the contribution of women in Europe in the fields of literature, science and art.


The Festival of European Short Story was founded in 2002 in Zagreb. Since then, over 150 authors from more than 15 European countries have participated in the festival, which has become an integral part of the Croatian literary scene. One of the key features of the festival is that it always takes place not only in the Croatian capital, but also in a smaller, partner town in Croatia. Since 2015, this has been Rijeka and in the year 2020 the two cities will trade their roles: Zagreb is going to be the partner city, whereas Rijeka will become the focal point of numerous literary and cultural events that will draw attention to questions of diversity and human rights.

One of the most important events in this respect will be the presentation of the project “Europa 28 – Visions for the Future”, which FESS realized in collaboration with Hay Festival, one of the most respected European literary festivals famous for taking place at different locations around the globe. The project encompasses texts written by 28 prominent women authors, artists, scientists etc., one from each country of the European Union. A trip to Rijeka in June 2020 will therefore be not only a unique literary experience, but also an opportunity to widen the rich and diverse cultural landscape of Europe.


Date: Thursday, October 17, 19:00
Place: Kreativ-Agentur plan-J, Kleyerstraße 46-48, 60326 Frankfurt am Main
Participants: Roman Simić (Festival of European Short Story), Caroline Michel (Hay Festival), Jelena Spreicer (moderator)

Access: free of charge (with the fair ticket)
Language: English
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main works/Translations
Sample translation
Links
Contacts