Books About Zagreb – A Gift That Keeps on Giving
I’ve always been a huge fan of books. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved the idea of being pulled into a whole new world and exploring it through the eyes of its main characters. I've learned to read even before I started school, just so I could read children’s books to myself, without bothering my parents to read them to me before bedtime. I also had a very special bond with my grandfather who never liked books, but was fascinated with the fact I was complete opposite to him so we made a pact – if I ever saw a book I wanted to buy, he’d give me the money to buy it, but I’d have to tell him all about the plot once I’d finish reading it. While other kids of my age were piling toys at the time, I couldn’t find enough space in my room for all of my books. Obviously, my grandfather made me a bookshelf and I still have it today – a bookshelf full of magic hidden between pages of books.
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I also firmly believe books are a great present and you can’t go wrong with it, but you have to give the right book to a person. Even those people who don’t like reading will enjoy a good book from time to time if you present them with the book of their interest. As a bookworm that I am, I’ll recommend you some books about Zagreb you can buy while you’re here and give them to your friends or family as a great souvenir from your touristic adventures in Zagreb. Not to worry, these are also books you can keep to yourself if you can’t think of anyone you’d like to give them to.
August Šenoa – The Goldsmith’s Treasure
Image Credit: Love Zagreb, Paula Bracko
The original title of this book is Zlatarevo zlato and it’s one of the most important literature pieces of Croatian history. The writer, August Šenoa, is also very well known among locals and there’s almost no city in Croatia without a street with his name. The Goldsmith's Treasure is a must-read book for students in Croatian schools and this love story about forbidden love warms up even the coldest hearts. Set in the 16th century, this novel will truly show you what it was like to live in those times and how rich people treated those beneath them. The main characters are young lovers, Dora Krupić, daughter of a local goldsmith, and Pavao Gregorijanec, son of a very powerful and rich lord of Medvedgrad. Their families are in a feud and, basically, you could say this is a Croatian version of Romeo and Juliette. You can buy this book in almost any bookstore in Zagreb, whether in Croatian or English version.
Zvonimir Mičec – Whistle from Bukovac
Like I’ve said before, my love for reading developed from children’s books so I had to put one of those on this list of book recommendations. Zvižduk s Bukovca or Whistle from Bukovac is another classic of Croatian literature and children’s favourite during their first school years. It tells a story about exciting adventures of a group of friends who lived during the 1950s in Zagreb neighbourhood – Bukovac. Its main character, Vlatko Gizelin called Giza, introduces us to his friends and shows us beautiful and nostalgic days of carefree childhood during those times when kids didn’t have mobile phones or computers to amuse them. The book is also filled with typical Zagrebian phrases to truly showcase locals and their lifestyle at the periphery of the city.
Marija Jurić Zagorka – Daughter of Lotrščak
Image Credit: Love Zagreb, Paula Bracko
There was no way this list could finish without the mention of Croatian most famous woman author, first journalist and enormous fighter for gender equality - Zagorka. Among all these amazing things she was, Zagorka was also an influential novelist and some of her best works are classified as historical romance novels. My personal favourite is Kći Lotrščaka or Daughter of Lotrščak because it was a gift from my mother when I was in my teen years and also, the first book from Zagorka I ever read. It combines a love story with old legends from Zagreb and it adds such a special layer of mystery to the whole plot. Unlike The Goldsmith’s Treasure, this story has a happy ending, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be holding your breath until the very last page.
Header Image Credit: Davor Rostuhar, Zagreb Tourist Board
Author: Paula Bracko