Nova Istra
Eurozine
Nova Istra
2009-08-31
Summary for Nova Istra 3-4/2008
The introductory section covering the contemporary Croatian literature includes a few short pieces in prose, extracts from larger pieces in prose, and poetry by several distinguished Croatian authors belonging to different poetic expressions and generations (S. Jendricko, I. Luksic, S. Vukusic, etc.).
The unit entitled "What/who is Crnja to us?" contains essays, studies, and notes about the reflections of a Croatian writer from Istria, Zvane Crnje (1920-1991). The texts are about Crnja, a translator, anthologist, important poet, essayist, cultural activist and polemic, looking at his place in recent Croatian literature. Crnja was a freedom-lover, often targeted in daily politics and by communist dogmatists for being in opposition to them, particularly after the fiasco of the national and socially reform-minded Croatian Spring of 1971.
The new translations refer to the "Eleventh Canto" from Freed Jerusalem by Torquato Tasso, translated from Italian by translator and academic Mirko Tomasovic. We also look at recent poetry from contemporary Slovene literature.
The essays presented here first comprise a text about a contemporary Croatian novelist from Rijeka -- Dasa Drndic -- entitled "Non-affiliation, subversity, identity(ies)". Then we present an article about the homeland reflections in the works of the significant twentieth-century author Vjekoslav Kaleb from Dalmatia.
The philosophical essay is on the hermeneutics of imagination by Paul Ricœur, while the theatre topic considers the phenomenon of Guignol -- puppet and puppet theatre.
The homeland issues are covered by the overviews about the tram in Pula from 1904 to 1934, one of the first trams in this part of Europe.
Finally, we present reviews of new journals in the fields of literature, translated literature and history.