Recently my husband and I visited the amazing and beautiful country of Croatia, the home of my maternal grandparents. Of course, I wanted to see locations in Split where my grandparents and their parents lived, were married, and went to church. In fact, I was moved by the thought I’d be walking in places where my ancestors walked for hundreds of years. Beyond sites related to my own heritage, I knew Croatia was filled with venues related to its incredible history and culture. For example, Split was founded as a Greek colony in the second or third century. Later it became a Roman provincial capital with the palace of Emperor Diocletian still standing. There are so many aspects of Croatia worthy of its own blog post—natural gems like its islands and parks, delicious cuisine found in its restaurants, and so much more.
JayWay Travel, the company we used for our trip, summarized the allure of Croatia. “Croatia offers the perfect blend of history and culture surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. With seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from Dubrovnik in the south to the Istrian peninsula in the north, there’s a lot to discover and it’s easy to see why Croatia features on the travel media’s top destination lists year after year.”
However, as a writer, I was also interested in Croatia as a literary travel destination. Thus, before we left on our adventure, I researched Croatian authors and literature. I soon learned, “Croatian literature is a rich and diverse field that reflects the country’s history, culture, language, and identity. Croatian writers have significantly influenced the nation’s cultural landscape from medieval to contemporary works.” https://www.frankaboutcroatia.com/life/culture/literature/
I then began to read about some of the most influential Croatian writers. One of my favorite discussions of Croatian literature and authors over the years may be found at https://croatia.eu/index.php/en/home-en/culture/literature.
As a female author, I wanted to know more about women writers from Croatia. In addition, I’m beginning a novel set in Croatia and based in Croatian mythology. Thus, I sought information about those subjects from my travel representatives at JayWay. They told me about various figures in the country’s mythology and introduced me to Marija Jurić Zagorka.
Zagorka was an author and the first Croatian woman journalist. She promoted women’s rights and advocated social justice during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although her ideas and work were ahead of her times, Zagorka helped to shape Croatian literature. She was crucial in promoting women’s rights and advocating social justice in Croatia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her activism had a lasting impact on Croatian literature and was a symbol of women’s empowerment in the region. https://www.expatincroatia.com/zagorka/
When I asked JayWay about a book based in Croatian mythology written by a woman, Zagorka’s most recognized novel Grička vještica (The Grič Witch) was suggested. It is set in 18th century Zagreb and intertwines romance, political intrigue, and the supernatural. Although it has mythologic themes, the novel’s story is actually about the treatment of women. In the book, the female character Countess Nera is a “modern superhero with a special power for saving women from witch-hunts. Her character and the characters of the ‘witches’ from the novel were based on historical persons, documents and events. Women labelled as witches were peasant women, bakers, beautiful young women who refused sexual offers from men of power or were competition to men on the entrepreneurial labour market.” https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/marijam_lejla_201712_phd.pdf
Note: I searched for an English translation of Grička vještica (The Grič Witch). I finally discovered one online that was part of the doctoral dissertation of Lejla Marijam, Marija Jurić Zagorka’s The Witch Of Grič: Translation And Critical Introduction, found at https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/marijam_lejla_201712_phd.pdf.
Now I was ready to learn about places to visit for literary travel in Croatia. One of the sites that provided information was BookJelly.com at https://bookjelly.com/top-literary-destinations-of-croatia/. The website stated, “Croatia is a small and young country with a vibrant literary tradition. Literary gems hidden behind the thick walls of old, beautiful buildings will make any bookworm very excited.” After reading that passage and its suggested literary destinations including author homes and haunts, libraries, bookstores, I was, indeed, “very excited” to plan our trip.
THE TRIP!
As I hoped, Croatia was a beautiful place to visit and a wonderful literary destination. Our trip took us to Split, Zadar, and Zagreb. These are a few of the literary-related sites we saw.
Libraries
Croatia has many historic libraries that are of special interest to literary scholars. One that was particularly fascinating was the old library building in Split named after the famous Croatian author Marko Marulić. I wondered if my ancestors had been to the library to read any of its books.
The main library in Zagreb is another beautiful and historic building. It is located in the Memorial House of Dr. Ante Starčević, a writer, doctor, and politician, known as the Father of Croatia.
Writers’ Homes
By the old library in Split and located within Diocletian’ palace area is the Marvlvs Library Jazz Bar. The library bar is in the house where Marko Marulić was born and its renovations retained many of its 15th century features. The Split City Museum is just down the street. The building is where the Split Humanist Circle met and one of Marulić’s books is among its exhibits.
As I mentioned earlier, I began to research Marija Jurić Zagorka before our trip. I read that her old apartment was turned into a museum to honor her and her work. When we toured Zagreb, I wanted to visit this memorial apartment. It took a while to find the apartment building and the only mention of the home museum was a simple note on the apartment’s doorbell. I rang and rang the bell without an answer. I was so disappointed to realize that Zagorka’s museum was closed.
Bookstores
Every other street in the cities we visited seemed to house a bookstore. I assume that’s an indication of Croatians’ love of reading. Shopping at one of the country’s new or antiquarian bookstores is a real treat.
In Zadar, I went to a bookstore and bought a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Croatian as a gift to my daughter and daughter-in-law. Knowing my interest in Croatian mythology, Leon Berisha, our JayWay rep, bought me a copy of The Slavic Myths by Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak from the Znanje Bookshop that was literally next to our hotel. Of course, I had to go to the shop myself where I really enjoyed spending time in its children’s section.
In Split, I went to the Morpurgo Bookstore that was across the square from our hotel. The salesperson was helpful in finding me a book by a modern Croatian author that was translated into English. Since I love mysteries and want to learn more about Croatian modern political and social issues, I bought Cloud the Color of Skin by Nebojša Lujanović.
Writers’ Haunts
For hundreds of years, writers have met in cafes, bars, and other public places in Croatia. Zagreb is especially noted for its writers’ haunts. For example, Pod starim krovovima (Under the Roofs) has been a café/tavern patronized by writers and actors wince the 19th century. Another well-know spot in Zagreb is the K&K Café that was down the street from our hotel and just off the central square. It was founded by famous Zagreb-based journalist and writer Zvonimir Milčec and remains in the hands of his family. Its walls are decorated with a local art and memorials of the late journalist’s life and achievements.
Authors
The importance of literature to its culture was evident as statues of Croatian authors were prominently placed everywhere we visited. If you ever visit Croatia, find some of these monuments and let your findings be a starting point for research into the authors depicted. In the second part of my blog regarding Croatia as a literary destination, I will focus on some of the Croatian authors I learned about after seeing their momuments.
Below is a photo of such a monument I saw in Zagreb.. It’s a statue of the inventor Nikola Tesla who also wrote scientific articles and books. Tesla was born in Croatia of Serbian heritage.
Croatia has a long and rich literary history. It is one of the most exciting literary destinations in Europe. That conclusion is primarily based on the power of the stories woven by Croatian authors for hundreds of years. As stated above, “The Croatian soul is like the Adriatic Sea – vast, deep, and always in motion, just like the stories that emerge from its shores.” Please read “Getting to Know Croatian Literature and Authors through Travel (Part II) to learn more about some of the authors I was introduced to during my trip to Croatia.
© PortiaLily Taylor, 2024
PortiaLily Taylor 