About the Book Series

HIDDEN CAMERA – DIARY OF THE SECOND WINTER

JELGAVA ’94 – THE NAMES THEY LEFT BEHIND – PROJEKT@PARTY 

ALONE AMONG THE IRISH – THE POOR MOUTH

TŪLA – THE DOLL – MORE

V.B.Z. recognises the vital role storytelling plays in the formation of a common, European cultural identity. It is for this reason that we have launched a project entitled “Around Europe in 30 Books”, which will offer 30 outstanding European books of fiction to Croatian readers. The goal of the project is to find similarities in our differences because, as F. Scott Fitzgerald once put it, “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” The first 10 titles are bound by a single theme, “Our Past, Our Present, Our Future”, and explore our shared history. The second year of the project is called “Our Life, Our Work, Our Future” and deals with the day-to-day lives of Europeans, with a special emphasis on women’s writing. The final year of this literary journey themed “Our Neighbours, Our Cross-Borders, Our Future”, will focus on the literature of our neighbours and other countries with complex neighbourly relations and provide an opportunity to look back on our path towards becoming a member state and how far we have come as Europeans.Read More…

The Authors

LIDIJA DIMKOVSKA– SRĐAN VALJAREVIĆ – JĀNIS JOŅEVS

CLARE AZZOPARDI – BEQË CUFAJ– MIODRAG VUKOVIĆ

BRIAN O’NOLAN – JURGIS KUNČINAS – ISMAIL KADARÉ

HAKAN GÜNDAY

Book authors from the third round of the series come from neighboring countries whose history was decisively marked by the relations with their bordering countries. Lidija Dimkovska, awarded Macedonian author, Srđan Valjarević, one of the most popular Serbian writers, Miodrag Vuković, Montenegrin literary author and journalist, Jurgis Kunčinas, one of the most famous Lithuanian writers, Latvian literary star Jānis Joņevs and awarded Maltese writer Clare Azzopardi deal with everyday challenges of individuals – from dealing with illnesses to combating prejudice, regimes and borders (state, cultural, social). Turkish writer Hakan Günday, Kosovar-German writer Beqë Cufaj, and Myles na gCopaleen (Brian O’Nolan), one of the most prominent Irish writers of the 20th century, write about the difficult living of those in existential hardships. Globally renowned Albanian writer Ismail Kadare takes us on an intimate journey through his life while focusing on complex relations with his mother.

Lidija Dimkovska
Lidija DimkovskaAuthor
Macedonian author currently living in Ljubljana, writer and translator for Macedonian, Romanian and Slovenian. Winner of numerous international literary awards for poetry and prose – including the prestigious EU Prize for Literature in 2013. Her poetry collections and novels have been translated into twenty languages.
Srđan Valjarević
Srđan ValjarevićAuthor
One of the most read Serbian writers, winner of many awards (including the Bank Austria Literaris award, the Serbian National Library Award, Gorski list award, Prix des Lectures du Var). His books have been translated into English, German, French, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Albanian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Slovenian and Macedonian.
Jānis Joņevs
Jānis JoņevsAuthor
The young Latvian writer published his literary debut “Jelgava ‘94” in 2013 and immediately achieved cult status among readers in the country. Winner of several major Latvian literary awards along with the EU Prize for Literature in 2014. “Jelgava ‘94” has been translated into several European languages.
Clare Azzopardi
Clare AzzopardiAuthor
Azzopardi is an awarded writer of books for children and adults, also prominent for her work on projects by the Maltese NGO Inizjamed aimed at promoting literature. Her works are translated into several foreign languages and at the 2016 London Book Fair she was named one of the Ten New Voices from Europe within the Literary Europe Live project.
Beqë Cufaj
Beqë CufajAuthor
Kosovar-German writer who does literary and journalistic work. His second novel “Project@party” was published in 2011 in Albanian, then in German the following year after which it achieved great success with German, Austrian and Swiss literary critics. “Project@party” is the first open and multi-layered critique of the work of international peacekeeping mission in the region.
Miodrag Vuković
Miodrag VukovićAuthor
Montenegrin writer and journalist who used his peculiar, original and virtuoso-like short stories from the late 1970s until his death in 2013 to pave the way for completely new areas in prose, thus directly influencing many of today’s famous literary authors, including his close friend Svetislav Basara. Vuković’s approach to story and language completely redefines prose norms.
Brian O’Nolan
Brian O’NolanAuthor
O’Nolan is today considered, alongside James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, the most prominent 20th century Irish writer and one of the key figures of postmodern literature. Because of his employment in public administration he used several pseudonyms as a writer, with Flann O’Brien and Myles na gCopaleen as the most famous. His novel “The Poor Mouth” is the best known literary work written in Irish.
Jurgis Kunčinas
Jurgis KunčinasAuthor
One of the most prominent and world famous Lithuanian writers since Lithuania gained independence. Because of vagabond characters that are often featured in his books critics compare him to Charles Bukowski and bitniks. His work has been translated into English, Russian, Latvian, Swedish, Estonian, Polish, Belarusian and German, which makes him one of the most translated Lithuanian authors.
Ismail Kadare
Ismail KadareAuthor
Kadare has written 45 books, while approximately ten were written about him. He is an associate of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in Paris, recipient of the French Legion of Honor, winner of the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca award in 1992, first laurate of the Man Booker International prize in 2005 and the Prince of Asturias Award in 2009. His works have been translated into about 40 languages.
Hakan Günday
Hakan GündayAuthor
Günday was born on the Greek island of Rhodes in a family of Turkish diplomats, which is why he frequently moved since childhood and had opportunities to meet people from different cultures and language communities. He was educated in Brussels and Ankara. “More” is his eighth novel and, according to most critics, his most impressive and mature literary achievement.