Why ‘Pula Essay Days’?

Istarski ogranak DHK Pula Pula Essay Days Why ‘Pula Essay Days’?

Pula Essay Days

Hrvatski

Why ‘Pula Essay Days’?

Through the Pula Essay Days, we attempt to establish an international just literary meeting in Pula and to make it traditional, i.e. the one understood from a special literary viewpoint as a town-essay – looked-over with all its advantages as well as disadvantages, and respectable as much as we, creators and intellectuals living here at the moment, together with our guests, invest into the winning of its reputation… Provided we succeed in these essay days, Pula might find its place in the cultural-and-literary map of our towns hosting important literary events. In Croatia, essay literature is given prizes but there is no meeting where creative authors gather in order to say what they have to say about essay or to do it like true essayists. As this given chance – known as the Pula Essay Days – is currently depending on the engagement and willingness of some people, we will see how much official as well as unofficial Pula & Croatia, particularly the cultural one, understands this cultural stimulus and cultural sign, how much it will be able to accept and support this initiative in the future.

Our programme is partly related to the previously held cultural meetings – on the end of the century/millennium jointly organised by the Istrian branch of the Croatian Writers’ Association and the journal Nova Istra (1998 and 1999 in Poreč and Rovinj entitled ‘Reading Signs of Time’, the proceedings under the same title published in 2001).

We would like to keep having this meeting organised in two sessions; i.e. one session on the essayistic approach to essay as a literary form, genre … (essay on essay) and another one on the essayistic approach to a particular topic. In terms of selection and approach to any given or selected issue, the widest framework refers to humanities, literature and art in particular. Since the very beginning, we have also been promoting the aesthetic, poetic, generation-gap and other openness and diversity considering participants we invite.

As an old form, even an independent genre these days, literary (also literary-and-philosophical, philosophical-and-literary, etc.) essay 'settles a dispute' between literature and science, reflection and limitless imagination; free in selection of contents, neither piece of criticism nor feuilleton, neither learned essay nor article, as it is more complex than the stated; it is 'high-class' and 'the most flexible' form, very frequent and almost prevailing in contemporary literature (essay-novel, novel-essay …); sometimes so much alike palimpsest, with its specially structured texture, essay is seen as certain literary cursive when the Croatian 20th century poetic giant Tin Ujević is taken into account – let us repeat it once again.

Boris Biletić

2nd Pula Essay Days

On the Eve of 2nd Pula Essay Days

JOYCE IN PULA
Pula Intermezzo of an Argonaut
on 100th anniversary of the writer’s arrival to Pula

MARIJA DRUŽETA
On Portarata in Pouring Rain
( poetic performance)

DANIEL NAČINOVIĆ
Secret Touch of Primordial Matter
(First reading of the new translation of ‘Clay’, story from ‘The Dubliners’ written in Pula)

VANESA BEGIĆ
Joyce and Svevo – Influences, Similarities and Differences

TOMISLAV MILOHANIĆ
Impressions from Dublin 2004

MATE ČVRLJAK and BRANISLAV BIMBAŠIĆ
Model, Artist and Maecenas
(talk about Joyce’s statue in Pula)

Programme Author and Host:
Daniel Načinović

City Library
Sv. Ivana 1a
Friday, 22 nd October 2004, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.
On a short visit to the newly-opened City Library

--------------------------

Central Topic to be presented at 3rd Pula Essay Days:
HOW DO WE READ EUROPE?
October, 2005.

Programme - Friday, 22 nd October 2004

City Library
Sv. Ivana 1a

P r o g r a m m e :

1st Session:
ESSAY ON ESSAY
Friday, 22nd Oct, 2004
4:30 – 7:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m. : Božica Jelušić
ESSE AS ESSAY

5:20 p. m. : Jelena Lužina
ESSAY AS SEDUCTION

5:50 p. m. : Milan Rakovac
E’ SAGGIO IL SAGGIO? OR WHY TO TRY ESSAY WRITING?

6:45 p. m. :
Presentation of new books published by the Croatian Philological Society:
George Sand: “Intimate Diary and Other Autobiographical Texts”
(on 200th anniversary of Sand’s birth)
Nikita Nankov: “Postmodernism and Cultural Challenges”
Presenters: Irena Lukšić and Jadranka Pintarić

9:00 p.m.
Essay As We Go: Pula Literary Nocturne

10:00 p.m.
Over Drinks in the Cvajner Gallery on Forum

Programme - Friday, 23 rd October 2004

2nd Session:
CITY – ESSAY
Saturday, 23rd Oct 2004
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

9:00 a.m.: Daša Drndić
CURSED WITNESSES

9:20 a. m. : Božica Jelušić
CITY AS A COMMUNITY METAPHOR

9:40 a. m. : Aldo Kliman
META(MOR)PHYSICS OF A CITY
Palimpsests and Founderings

10:00 a.m.: Irena Lukšić
CITY AS AN ENDLESS TEXT

10:20 a.m. : Jelena Lužina
MOSCOW OF CHEKHOV’S ‘SISTERS’ OR CITY AS AN INTERTEXT
(celebrating Chekhov’s year)

11:00 a.m.
Presentation of “Nova Istra” (2-3/2004)
and the texts presented at 1st Pula Essay Days
Presenters: Jelena Lužina and Boris Biletić

11:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
11:15 a. m. : Boris A. Novak
MESTO KOT ESEJ, POIZKUS, ODPRT TEKST
City As an Essay, Try, Open Text

11:35 a. m. : Milan Rakovac
ON HOW I DESTROYED AND BUILT A CITY

11:55 a. m. : Gabriele Reiterer
IMAGINES ET LOCI
Die Stadt als Erzählung / City As a Story

12:15 p. m. : Tomislav Žigmanov
EFFORTS MADE BY A CITY IN THE DESTRUCTION PERIOD – AN EASTERN STUDY CASE

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Discussion

Programme Author and Host:
Boris Domagoj Biletić

4:00 p.m.
Autumn Sonata in Istria

3rd Pula Essay Days

3rd PULA ESSAY DAYS

We launched Pula Essay Days as an international literary event in Pula, viewing it also as a town-essay from its special literary perspective. In the meantime, it has become traditional. Since its beginning, we have tried to promote the aesthetic, poetic, generation and other diversity of participants that are invited to the event.

It is pretty easy to recognise the two parts of the meeting: namely, one session is always on the essayistic approach to essay as a literary form, genre… (essay on essay), while the other one deals with a given topic in an essayistic way. The widest framework in terms of annual topic selection and its approaches refers to humanities, literature and arts in particular, so the first Pula Essay Days culturally dealt with the issues of globalisation and identity, the second meeting was on town seen as an essay, and this year we are going to 'read' Europe, that is so contradictory but our future destiny, as well. All the contributions are to be later published in Nova Istra.

In its own way, essay 'restores peace' between literature and science, reflection and unrestricted imagination; due to the free selection of its contents, it is neither review nor feuilleton, debate nor article, as it is more complex than these. It is a 'high-class' and almost dominant form in modern literature. As Tin Ujević used to say, essay is 'literary italics' and, in a special adaptable way, it is certainly – the literary genre in the future.

Istrian Branch of the
CROATIAN WRITERS' ASSOCIATION
and NOVA ISTRA Journal

International meeting:
3rd PULA ESSAY DAYS

HOW DO I/WE READ EUROPE?

21st - 22nd October, 2005

City Library
Sv. Ivana 1a
Pula, Hrvatska / Croatia

Programme Author and Presenter BORIS DOMAGOJ BILETIĆ

Participants

VANESA BEGIĆ
TEA BENČIĆ RIMAY
ALEŠ DEBELJAK
FEDORA FERLUGA-PETRONIO
IGOR GRBIĆ
ZVONKO KOVAČ
JELENA LUŽINA
DANIEL NAČINOVIĆ
BORIS A. NOVAK
MÁRIÓ PAPP
ALJOŠA PUŽAR
BOGIĆ RAKOČEVIĆ
STJEPAN VUKUŠIĆ

Programme - FRIDAY, 21st October 2005

12.00, MMC „LUKA“
3rd Pula Essay Days Programme Presentation
........................................................................
14.00, “Monte Ghiro”
Flower for Our Professor:
visit to the Grave of Prof. dr. sc. Ljubica Ivezić

City Library
1st Session:

ESSAY ON ESSAY
16.00 - 19.30
..........................................................
16.30: Tea Benčić Rimay
THROUGH ESSAY INTO THE POETICS BY VLADO GOTOVAC
..........................................................
16.50: Igor Grbić
ESSAY PROSPECTS
..........................................................
17.10: Zvonko Kovač
RETURN TO ESSAY?
..........................................................
17.30: Jelena Lužina
ESSAY AS A WITTY REMARK
..........................................................
17.50: Bogić Rakočević
DILEMMAS AS POETIC GUIDELINES
(Contemporary Montenegrin Poetry)
..........................................................
18.10: Stjepan Vukušić
KAMOV IN THE RIDGE OF CROATIAN LITERATURE?
..........................................................
18.45:
Daniel Načinović: DESK
Presentation of the Book of Essays and Feuilletons
Participants:
Boris Domagoj Biletić, Zvonko Kovač, Daniel Načinović
.........................................................................
20.30:
Galerija CVAJNER
Verses in a Gallery

Programme - SATURDAY, 22nd October 2005

City Library
2nd Session:

HOW DO I/WE READ EUROPE?
10.00 - 13.30
.......................................................
10.00: Aleš Debeljak
FORTRESS OF EUROPE
.......................................................
10.20: Fedora Ferluga-Petronio
EUROPE AND UNIVERSITY ISSUES OF SLAVIC STUDIES IN ITALY
.......................................................
10.40: Jelena Lužina
MYTH ABOUT BABYLONIAN HARLOT
.......................................................
11.00:
NIKOLA ŠOP, EUROPEAN POET
Fedora Ferluga-Petronio:
KOZMIČKI SVIJET NIKOLE ŠOPA
Presentation of the Book
Participants:
Vanesa Begić, F. Ferluga-Petronio, Daniel Načinović
.......................................................
11.30: Boris A. Novak
EUROPEAN BOUNDARIES, BOUNDARIES IN EUROPE
.......................................................
11.50: Márió Papp
READING OF AN UNWRITTEN BOOK
.......................................................
12.10: Aljoša Pužar
HIST(R)EROS…
.......................................................
12.30:
Presentation of “Nova Istra” (Issue No. 3/2005)
and Texts Presented at 2nd Pula Essay Days
Presenters:
Tea Benčić Rimay i Boris Domagoj Biletić
.......................................................
13.00 - 13.30
Discussion

4th Pula Essay Days Topic:

4th Pula Essay Days and Its Topic:
PINNACLES OF 20th CENTURY CROATIAN ESSAY LITERATURE IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT
October 2006
..........................................................
Organizer:
Istrian Branch of the CROATIAN WRITERS' ASSOCIATION and NOVA ISTRA Journal
..........................................................
Istarska 30, 52100 Pula, Hrvatska / Croatia
tel./fax.: (++385) (0)52 218-372
e-mail: istarski-ogranak-drustva@pu.htnet.hr
www.gradpula.com/nova_istra
..........................................................
Sponsored by:
Mr Valter Drandić,
Pula City Mayor

Programme Supported by:
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia
County of Istria
City of Pula
City of Umag

Media sponsors:
Glas Istre, HRT Radio Pula, NIT, TV Nova

Also Supported by:
Biska, Grafomark, Angolo

4th Pula Essay Days - Love & Hate

4th PULA ESSAY DAYS - 20th - 21st October, 2006

We launched the Pula Essay Days as an international literary event in Pula, viewing it also from its special literary perspective as town-essay. In the meantime, it has become traditional. Since its beginning, we have tried to promote the aesthetic, poetic, generation and other diversity of participants invited to the event.
Up to this year, it was easy to recognise the two parts of the meeting: one session was always on the essayistic approach to essay as a literary form, genre… (essay on essay), while the other one dealt with a given topic in an essayistic way. The widest framework in terms of annual topic selection and its approaches always referred to humanities, literature and arts in particular, so the first Pula Essay Days culturally dealt with the issues of globalisation and identity, the second meeting was on town seen as an essay, last year we 'were reading' Europe as our past, present and, certainly, future destiny – no matter how contradictory it seems to be.
This year the concept changes a little bit in order to provide some break, to avoid some tiredness resulted from the essayistic approach to essays, but also to bring some new vivacity that will be surely introduced by these two-day essayistic considerations on LOVE AND HATE.

In its own way, essay ‘restores peace’ between literature and science, reflection and unrestricted imagination; due to the free selection of its contents, it is neither review nor feuilleton, debate nor article, as it is more complex than these. It is a ‘high-class’ and almost dominant form in modern literature. As Tin Ujević used to say, essay is ‘literary italics’ and, in a special way, it is certainly – the literary genre in the future.

Istrian Branch of the
CROATIAN WRITERS' ASSOCIATION
and NOVA ISTRA Journal

International meeting:
4th PULA ESSAY DAYS

Love & Hate

20th - 21st October, 2006

City Library
Sv. Ivana 1a / Pula, Hrvatska / Croatia

Programme Author and Presenter BORIS DOMAGOJ BILETIĆ

Participants

Miroslav Bertoša
Alida Bremer
Ljerka Car Matutinović
Igor Grbić
Taja Kramberger
Laura Marchig
Simone Mocenni
Aleksandar Prokopiev
Helena Sablić Tomić

Programme - FRIDAY, 20th October 2006

City Library
1st Session:

LOVE AND HATE
16.00 - 19.00
..........................................................
16.30: Ljerka Car Matutinović
MYSTIFICATION OF LOVE AND DEPRESSIVE RELATIONS OF HATE
..........................................................
16.50: Simone Mocenni
BRIEF CONSIDERATION OF LOVE AND HATE IN THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
BREVE RIFLESSIONE SU AMORE E ODIO NELLA SOCIETÀ CONTEMPORANEA
..........................................................
17.10: Taja Kramberger
SHADING OF THE WORLDS BETWEEN TWO POLES
OR RESISTANCE TO THE MANICHAEAN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD
NIANSIRANJE SVETOV MED DVEMA POLOMA ALI UPOR PROTI MANIHEJSKI PODOBI SVETA
..........................................................
..........................................................
18.00: Igor Grbić
LOVE, HATE AND INDIFFERENCE
..........................................................
18.20: Alida Bremer
IN FRONT OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
..........................................................
20.00:
Gallery CVAJNER
Flow of Words at the Gallery

Programme - SATURDAY, 21st October 2006

City Library
2nd Session:

LOVE AND HATE
10.00 - 13.00
..........................................................
10.00: Miroslav Bertoša
ESSAY ON BESOTTED LIBERTINO AND ASPIRING LIBERTINA
..........................................................
10.20: Laura Marchig
BETWEEN ETHICS AND PROVOCATION: WHY AN ISSUE OF ‘LA BATTANA’ DEDICATED TO LOVE?
FRA ETICA E PROVOCAZIONE: PERCHÉ UN NUMERO DE »LA BATTANA» DEDICATO ALL’AMORE?
..........................................................
10.45 – 11.15
10 YEARS OF NOVA ISTRA JOURNAL
(Miroslav Bertoša, Milan Rakovac, Igor Grbić, Boris Domagoj Biletić)
..........................................................
..........................................................
11.30: Helena Sablić Tomić
IS LOVE WITHOUT HATE BECOMING A TREND IN THE CONTEMPORARY CROATIAN PROSE?
..........................................................
11.50: Aleksandar Prokopiev
LABYRINTH AND FLIGHT (Eros and Thanatos at Miracle’s Service)
LETOT I LAVIRINTOT (Eros i Tanatos vo služba na čudoto)
..........................................................
12.15:
Establishing the Annual Zvane Črnja Award by Croatian Writers’ Association
..........................................................
12.30 – 13.00
Discussion and announcement of the surprise presentation

5th Pula Essay Days - The Province

5th PULA ESSAY DAYS - The Province

19th - 20st October, 2007

Programme Author and Presenter
BORIS DOMAGOJ BILETIĆ

Participants

Tanja Bakić (Podgorica, Montenegro):
MYTH AND PROVINCE

Dr. Miroslav Bertoša (Pula, Croatia):
WARM-HEARTED GEOGRAPHY OF PROVINCE

Dr. Branimir Bošnjak (Zagreb, Croatia)
PROVINCE AS A REDUCED UNIT OF THE WORLD

Mr Irena Grubica (Rijeka, Croatia)
SUBVERSIVE POWER OF PROVINCE AS 'A FIRE-SWEPT ZONE OF MIND':
EXAMPLES FROM CROATIAN AND IRISH LITERATURES

Drago Jančar (Ljubljana, Slovenija)
PROVINCE PHILOSOPHY

Arian Leka (Tirana, Albania)
I WAS BORN IN A PROVINCE

Dr. Irena Lukšić (Duga Resa, Croatia)
PROVINCE AS UTOPIA

Janko Rožić (Ljubljana, Slovenija)
NOTES FROM PROVINCE

Dr. Helena Sablić Tomić (Osijek, Croatia)
BEAUTIFUL PROVINCE

Tomislav Žigmanov (Subotica, Vojvodina, Serbia)
THREE QUESTIONS AND NOTHING BUT THREE HINTS ABOUT PROVINCES, HERE AND NOW IN THE EAST

Programme - FRIDAY, 19th October 2007

City Library
16.00: Official Opening
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ZVANE ČRNJA PRIZE WINNER FOR THE BEST CROATIAN ESSAY BOOK IN 2006/2007:
TOMISLAV ŽIGMANOV (1967): „MINIMUM IN MAXIMIS“ (Zapisi s ruba o nerubnome), AGM, Zagreb, 2007

1st Session:

THE PROVINCE
16.30 - 19.00
..........................................................
16.30: Irena Grubica
SUBVERSIVE POWER OF 'A FIRE-SWEPT ZONE OF MIND':
EXAMPLES FROM CROATIAN AND IRISH LITERATURES
..........................................................
16.50: Tomislav Žigmanov
THREE QUESTIONS AND NOTHING BUT THREE HINTS ABOUT PROVINCES,
HERE AND NOW IN THE EAST
..........................................................
17.10: Tanja Bakić
MYTH AND PROVINCE
..........................................................
..........................................................
18.00: Drago Jančar
PROVINCE PHILOSOPHY
..........................................................
18.20: Miroslav Bertoša
WARM-HEARTED GEOGRAPHY OF PROVINCE
..........................................................
20.00:
Gallery CVAJNER
Words at the Gallery
Literary Evening with Participants

Programme - SATURDAY, 20st October 2006

City Library
2nd Session:

THE PROVINCE
9.30 - 13.00
..........................................................
9.30: Janko Rožić
NOTES FROM PROVINCE
..........................................................
10.00: Arian Leka
I WAS BORN IN A PROVINCE
..........................................................
10.20: Irena Lukšić
PROVINCE AS UTOPIA
..........................................................
10.45-11.15: Irena Lukšić
Book Presentation:
"BRODSKI!: ŽIVOT, DJELO (1940-1996)"
(Irena Lukšić i Jelena Lužina)
..........................................................
..........................................................
11.30: Helena Sablić Tomić
BEAUTIFUL PROVINCE
..........................................................
11.50: Branimir Bošnjak
PROVINCE AS A REDUCED UNIT OF THE WORLD
..........................................................
12.15:
Proceedings Presentation:
'DRUGI ŠOLJANOV ZBORNIK'
(Branimir Bošnjak, Jelena Lužina, Boris Domagoj Biletić)
..........................................................
12.45 – 13.00
Discussion and Announcement of the Surprise Presentation