With the current issue, the journal Nova Istra is about to enter its 20th anniversary.
NOVA ISTRA
Literary, art and cultural journal
Zeitschrift für Literatur, Kunst und Kultur
Rivista di letteratura, arte e cultura
Pula, Croatia / Kroatien / Croazia, No. 1-2/2015
On the 20th anniversary of the journal and the 25th anniversary of the Istrian Branch of the Croatian Writers' Association
With the current issue, the journal Nova Istra (now with a new subheading: literary – art – culture) is about to enter its 20th anniversary (the first issue no. 1-2/1996 was released in mid-June in 1996), just as its publisher, the Istrian branch of the Croatian Writers’ Association (based in Pula) celebrates its 25th anniversary (launched on 2nd July 1990). Many things considering literature, culture in general, and socio-political context have occurred and changed since then; we have also survived one war, the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995). Due to its literature and overall culture, also its formal/administrative EU membership, Croatia has ‘returned’ where it is all the time, from where it never went away, and where it has belonged since its earliest beginnings – Europe, in other words to the network of its nations, languages and cultures. At least, it should be understood like this from ‘both sides’.
Instead of occasional words, the introduction includes considerations about the above-mentioned cultural facts, the two anniversaries, signed not only by some distinguished authors in the Croatian literary, scientific, cultural, social life…, but also by our associates, supporters, or to put it briefly – colleagues and friends; this journal would not be possible without them. They are very different according to their generations, viewpoints and aesthetical-poetical ideas, and such difference represents one of the foundations, a challenging abundance, characteristic for this journal and its publisher ever since the very beginning, and we hope that it will be like this in the future. As long as there are journals released. Of course, there will be enough space for other artistic expressions and media, for considering cultural issues, interesting historical ideas, philosophical and theoretical texts in general, along with the current fiction and translations that connect peoples, languages, cultures...
This is also an occasion to mark the hundredth anniversary of birth and 20th anniversary of death of Ljubica Ivezić, Ph.D. (1915-1995), the Professor and good ‘mentor’. She taught many people who are today eminent in cultural and public spheres, science fields and alike, not only in Pula and Istria, but all over Croatia. This lady is considered one of the important persons in the history of culture and the history of pedagogy in this region, due to her engagement with pupils and students, especially with young talented artists, in particular (future) writers.
The contemporary literature is represented by a selection of various new texts (diaries, fiction, poetry) written by some very outstanding Croatian authors, without excluding some of those who have just peeped over the literary stage. Convincingly, though.
Antun Gustav Matoš (1873-1914) is one of the most characteristic and important authors in the Croatian literature not only in 20th century; he is also one of the greatest Europeans in our literature. So, it is not surprising that one of the most significant professional and literary gatherings, focused on his life and entire opus, was held in the small Istrian town of Rovinj last year, on the occasion of the centenary of his too early death, which coincided with the anniversary of the Great War. The essays presented by eminent literary researchers and university ‘heads’ are completely included here.
New translations first present pieces translated from Polish (about the Jewish district/ghetto in Warsaw in the Second World War) and then extracts from the Italian and German literature.
The section with studies and essays contains texts from philosophy, science of literature and literary reviews; let us mention those on another two great Croatian authors who wrote in the last century – Miroslav Krleža (1893-1981) and Ranko Marinković (1913-2001). There is also one text on Montaigne, critical cognitive optimism, etc.
Native region contributions, among other things, refer to the city of Pula during the last century wars, its urban and architectural problems, solutions, vistas… for the last hundred years…
Finally, we also present new books by Croatian and foreign writers, fiction and poetry, but also polemical political non-fiction, sociology, and – very interestingly – the practice and theory of literary journals, the kind of literature that is not so common even in other languages and cultures.
Translation:
Renata Šamo, Pula
Akademik Josip Bratulić
red. sveuč. prof. u m., povjesničar književnosti
Dr. sc. Boris Domagoj Biletić
književnik
Dr. sc. Irvin Lukežić
red. sveuč. prof. i književni povjesničar, Sveučilište u Rijeci
Dr. sc. Jelena Lužina
red. sveuč. prof. i teatrologinja, Sveučilište Sv. Kirila i Metodija
Zdravko Zima
književni kritičar
Slavko Jendričko
književnik
Zoran Kršul
književnik
Zvjezdana Jembrih
likovna umjetnica i spisateljica
Goran Gatalica
spisatelj
Barbara Klepić
pjesnikinja
Dr. sc. Vinko Brešić
red. sveuč. prof. i povjesničar književnosti, Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Dr. sc. Suzana Coha
sveuč. prof. i povjesničarka književnosti, Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Dr. sc. Dubravka Crnojević-Carić
sveuč. prof. i gliumica, ADU Zagreb
Dr. sc. Ivica Matičević
književnik, povjesničar knjiž., HAZU, Zavod...
Dr. sc. Antun Pavešković
književnik, povjesničar knjiž., HAZU, Zavod...
Dr. sc. Cvijeta Pavlović
sveuč. prof., komparatistica, Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Mr. sc. Božidar Petrač
književnik, urednik, knjiž. povjesnik
Dr. sc. Ivo Runtić
sveuč. prof. u m., znanstvenik, germanist
Adrian Cvitanović
književni prevoditelj
Tamara Pliško
književna prevoditeljica
Lorena Monica Kmet
književna prevoditeljica
Mr. sc. Dragutin Lučić Luce
pisac, novinar, filozof
Dr. sc. Fahrudin Novalić
sociolog
Dr. sc. Maja Profaca
filozofkinja
Jelena Ribarić Završki
doktorandica
Mr. sc. Josip Krajač
esejist i publicist
Akademik Mladen Machiedo
književnik, red. sveuč. prof. u m., talijanist
Dr. sc. Boris Domagoj Biletić
književnik
Dr. sc. Darko Dukovski
red. Sveuč. prof., povjesničar, Sveučilište u Rijeci
Miodrag Kalčić
publicist, esejist, urednik
Alvijana Klarić
prof. hrvatskoga i književnosti
Dr. sc. Marina Protrka Štimec
sveuč. prof., povjesničarka knjiž., Sveučilište u Zagrebu
Božidar Alajbegović
književni kritičar
Đuro Vidmarović
književnik
Darija Žilić
književnica i knjiž. kritičarka
Nevenka Nekić
književnica
Dr. sc. Renata Šamo
sveuč. prof. i prevoditeljica, Sveučilište u Zagrebu