Much of the book is dedicated to essays that treat literature created abroad by people of Croatian extraction, on which her work as a researcher is focused. Among these are German authors such as Nela Stipančić Radonić and Adolf Polegubić, Ljerka Toth Naumova of North Macedonia, Australians Drago Šaravanja and Vladimir Jakopanec, Adrian Vuksanović from Montenegro, and Chileans Andrés Morales Milohnić, Sergio Vodanović, Eugenio Mimica Barassi, Guillermo Mimica and Vesna Mimica.
Literary critic, translator and Hispanist Željka Lovrenčić has released her latest volume Samo kritično, molim! (“Critically, Please!”), published by BIakova of Zagreb with funding provided through our science and education ministry. Lovrenčić’s latest book comprises thirty-seven critical appraisals of the works of contemporary Croatian authors, including those of Croatian extraction that call many countries around the world home. These essays have been published in Croatian periodicals between 2016 to 2020. The volume is edited by Zorka Jekić, and includes reviews by Dunja Detoni Dujmić and Tin Lemac, and index by Ivan Bekavac Basić, and cover art by Božidar Bekavac Basić.
In the focus of Lovrenčić’s interest are contemporary Croatian poets, including Ljerka Car Matutinović, Diana Burazer, Božica Brkan, Boris Domagoj Biletić, and Pero Pavlović. Lovrenčić—much of whose translation presents the work of Croatian authors in the Spanish language—is also keen to analyse their work. A trenchant essayist, Lovrenčić also delves into contemporary prose production, writing of the work of Diana Rosandić Živković, Antun Pavešković and others.
She also looks at studies penned by Tin Lemac, Sanja Knežević, Đuro Vidmarović and Igor Žic dealing with figures like Josip Pupačić, Tomislav Marijan Bilosnić, Josip Gujaš-Đuretin and Laval Nuget.
In her broad range of literary interests Lovrenčić also treats the subject of translations from the Slovenian and Spanish languages. Much of the book is, of course, dedicated to essays that treat literature created abroad by people with Croatian backgrounds, on which her work as a researcher is focused. Among these are German authors such as Nela Stipančić Radonić and Adolf Polegubić, Ljerka Toth Naumova of North Macedonia, Australians Drago Šaravanja and Vladimir Jakopanec, Adrian Vuksanović from Montenegro, and Chileans Andrés Morales Milohnić, Sergio Vodanović, Eugenio Mimica Barassi, Guillermo Mimica and Vesna Mimica.
In her review Dunja Detoni Dujmić notes that Lovrenčić has, “offered a particularly valuable contribution to disseminating information on contacts between Spanish speaking South America and Croatia, i.e., what is for Croatian culture the critical topic of bridging the diaspora and the Croatian land of origin.”
In his review Tin Lemac notes that, “Lovrenčić’s critical writing exhibits an exceptional level of informedness, is easily readable, leveraging an abundance of specialist knowledge, and the cautious and precise expression of value judgements. The high level of informedness is reflected in the descriptions of biographical facts concerning the authors and the substantive analysis of the work of the authors.”
In all, this is a very valuable and fascinating critical overview of contemporary Croatian literature in the country and abroad.
By: Vesna Kukavica