MIRKO KOVAČ, GRAD U ZRCALU: OBITELJSKI NOKTURNO (BOOK REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION)

 Hello readers! Today I will share with you an outfit and a book review for The City In a Mirror, an autobiographical novel by Mirko Kovač.  I cannot imagine life without reading fine literature. I can never get tired of reading. Fashion is another thing I enjoy. I genuinely enjoy putting outfits together. Just thinking of something cute that I might wear lifts my mood. I suppose both literature and fashion are my little joys. It's important to enjoy in little things. In fact, I realized that in life 'little things'  and 'little joys' are not so 'little' at all, rather they are more important than many things that seem more relevant.  When I started this blog, I wanted it to be about things that bring me joy (hence the name of the blog that in Croatian also has elements of a word play- moda oda radosti- fashion, an ode to joy). In life, we sometimes really need to hold onto things that bring us joys. Art is always a great source of inspiration for me. Painting and literature is a big part of my life. I like music too, but I feel like I'm not knowledgeable enough to write about that specific art form. Art (especially in its visual and written form), crafts and fashion, those are some of the things I truly enjoy writing about. 

Pozdrav čitateljima! Danas ću s vama podijeliti odjevnu kombinaciju i ogled knjige za autobiografski roman Mirke Kovača. Ne mogu zamisliti život bez čitanja i književnosti općenito. Nikad se ne mogu umoriti od čitanja. Moda je još jedna stvar u kojoj uživam. Iskreno uživam u slaganju odjevnih kombinacija. Sama pomisao na nešto slatko što bih mogla nositi podiže mi raspoloženje. Pretpostavljam da su i književnost i moda moje male radosti. Zapravo sam shvatila kako u životu te male radosti i male stvari nisu nimalo male i važnije su od puno toga što nam se ponekad čini bitnijim. Kad sam pokrenula ovaj blog, htjela sam da bude o stvarima koje me raduju (otuda i naziv bloga koji na hrvatskom ima i elemente igre riječi- moda oda radosti). U životu se ponekad stvarno trebamo držati stvari koje nam donose radost. Umjetnost je za mene uvijek veliki izvor inspiracije. Slikarstvo i književnost su veliki dio mog života.  Veoma volim i glazbu, ali osjećam da nemam dovoljno znanja da pišem o toj specifičnoj umjetničkoj formi. Umjetnost (posebno u vizualnom i pisanom obliku), zanati i moda, to su neke od stvari o kojima doista rado pišem.

HOW I WORE THESE ITEMS BEFORE? - THE STORY OF MY OUTFIT (LINKS TO MY OTHER OUTFITS WITH THESE CLOTHING ITEMS?

For sustainability reasons, I like to promote wearing difference clothing items again and again but really that's something I've always been doing (years before the word sustainability ever entered my mind).  I always enjoyed thinking of different ways to wear a clothing item. It's like a game to me, you know. There are times when I enjoy mixing styles more than anything else. Combining different clothing items is an ideal way to do that. For example, just wear a casual item with a more dressed up one and voila- you got yourself an outfit that will stand out. However, even when we stick to a certain style (for example an elegant one), we can still think of different ways to wear  certain clothing items. Combining the same elegant items in different ways can be a creative task as well. You can always play with textures and colours.

 Layering is a great way to mix and match our favourite pieces. Take this lilac Stanka Zovka set I bought last Summer. I've been getting lots of wears from it this Autumn as well. Speaking of that, you can really wear most of your summery clothes in Autumn as well, as long as you layer them well. I understand why many choose to divide their wardrobe into seasons because that makes sense and is a logical thing to do. It might even be a must thing in places where seasonal weather changes are extreme. Moreover, many people like their wardrobe to match the colours of the seasons and this is easier to accomplish when you organize your clothes by season. However, you can always play with items you have in your closet and get creative. Regardless of the fact whether you divide your wardrobe according to season or not, you can always borrow your summery pieces in Autumn. 

Here I layered this set with a blazer, a coat, a pair of tights and a pair of leather heels. I was both warm and comfortable in this outfit. Who says you can't be comfortable and look all dressed up? Naturally, comfort is different for everyone. I know that dresses and tights might not the way to go for all ladies. However, I'm sure everyone can find items that will be comfortable for them but still look elegant. Creating an outfit that looks polished and put together is something everyone can do. If you're really struggling, ask a friend for help or hire a session with a stylist. Don't ever feel like you have to sacrifice comfort for style, because you don't. There are so many options nowadays that I feel  everyone can have fun with clothes. 

THE MINI BROWN LEATHER BAG-  This  mini bag was a gift from a friend. I love it. See how I wore it here , here and here.

THE RED BLAZER-  I've had this red blazer for ages. I remember paying something like ten euros for it in some little shop in Split (located opposite of backdoor entrance to National Theatre) during sales. The purchase certainly payed off. Check out this post where I showed you ten ways to wear this red blazer. It is wonderful for layering. I actually wear it a lot during the cold months as well. See how I wore it in autumn and winter here , here and here. 

THE BEIGE/CAMEL SHORT COAT- As some of you might remember, my husband bought this camel coat for me back in 2019. Initially I was a bit skeptical, but soon I warmed up to it. I have already gotten so many wears from it. See how I have worn it here, here and here. 

STANKA ZOVKO POLKA DOT LILAC SET (MATCHING SKIRT & BLOUSE) Do you remember when I bought this lilac set by fashion designer Stanka Zovko back in August? I was so excited to wear it. I first wore it when I shared a book review HERE. I love to wear this set as separates as well. You can see how I styled this polka dot  skirt over a lilac dress (also by Stanka Zovko), in another outfit paired with a floral shirt here. Moreover, I wore this skirt with my white tunics here and here.

PEKO LEATHER HEELED SHOES - I've had these shoes for ages. Like most of shoes I have bought in Peko stores, they are quality made. You can see how I styled these heels before here, here and here.

KAKO SAM NOSILA OVE ODJEVNE KOMADE PRIJE? PRIČA O ODJEVNOJ KOMBINACIJI 

 

Iz ekoloških razloga (to jest modne održivosti), volim uvijek iznova promovirati nošenje istih odjevnih predmeta na različite načine, to je zapravo nešto što sam oduvijek radila (godinama prije nego što mi je riječ održivost uopće pala na pamet). Uvijek sam uživala razmišljati o različitim načinima nošenja odjevnog predmeta. To mi je kao igra, znate. Postoje trenuci kada više od svega uživam u miješanju stilova. Kombiniranje odjevnih predmeta različita stila idealan je način za to. Na primjer, probajte nositi ležerni predmet s nekim poslovnim i voila- imate kombinaciju koja će se istaknuti. No, čak i kada se držimo određenog stila (primjerice elegantnog), ipak možemo smisliti različite načine nošenja određenih odjevnih predmeta. Kombiniranje istih elegantnih odjevnih predmeta na drugačije načine može biti i kreativan zadatak. Možete se uvijek igrati s teksturama i bojama.

 Slojevitost je izvrstan način za nošenje naših omiljenih komada na nove načine. Uzmite naprimjer ovaj lila kompletić modne dizajnerice Stanke Zovko koji sam kupila ljetos, a nosim ga i ove jeseni. Kad smo kod toga, većinu svoje ljetne odjeće zaista možete nositi i u jesen, pod uvjetom da je dobro iskombinirate pri čemu je slojevito odijevanje ključ. Razumijem zašto se mnogi odlučuju podijeliti svoju garderobu na godišnja doba jer to ima smisla i logična je stvar. To bi čak moglo biti obavezno na mjestima gdje su sezonske promjene vremena ekstremne. Štoviše, brojni ljudi vole i da njihova garderoba odgovara bojama godišnjih doba, a to je lakše postići kada svoju odjeću organizirate po sezoni. Međutim, uvijek se možete poigrati s predmetima koje imate u ormaru i postati kreativni. Bez obzira dijelite li svoju garderobu prema sezoni ili ne, svoje ljetne komade uvijek možete posuditi u jesen.

Ovdje sam ovaj lila kompletić nadopunila sa crvenim blejzerom, bež kaputom, parom tamno sivih najlonki i parom kvalitenih cipela od kože sa visokom petom. Bilo mi je i toplo i udobno u ovoj odjeći i obući. Tko kaže da vam ne može biti udobno  a da pritom izgledate i dotjerano? Naravno, udobnost je za svakoga drugačija. Znam da haljine i najlonke možda nisu prvi ili pravi izbor za sve dame. Neke žene više vole hlače. Međutim, sigurna sam da svatko može pronaći predmete koji će mu biti udobni, ali i dalje izgledati elegantno. Odabir odjevne kombinacije koja izgleda uglađeno i lijepo je nešto što svatko može svladati. Ako se stvarno mučite kada se želite sredii, zamolite prijatelja ili prijateljicu za pomoć ili platite sat  sa stilistom. Nemojte se nikada osjećati kao da morate žrtvovati udobnost za stil, jer nije potrebno. Danas postoji toliko mnogo opcija da smatram kako se svatko može zabaviti s odjećom a ujedno izgledati sređeno.

POVEZNICE ZA DRUGE ODJEVNE KOMBINACIJE SA ISTIM ODJEVNIM KOMADIMA možete pronaći gore u djelu testa na engleskom. 

Volim staviti poveznice kako bi dokazala da stvarno puno puta nosim iste odjevne komada, a da ih ne bi kopirala možete samo na njih kliknuti gore tamo gdje piše ovdje, tj. here. 

THE CITY IN A MIRROR: A FAMILY NOCTURNO, AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL BY MIRKO KOVAČ 5/5

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more magical, tender, layered, and melancholy autobiography. I have to admit that for me in the past, reading Kovač's works was a bit of a struggle. I always appreciated his talent, but I struggled with reading his works.  I can even say that I needed to invest effort to read, all the time made aware that I was trying to understand a world unfamiliar to me. The city in a Mirror, on the contrary, I read without a pause, in one breath. This autobiographical work is the first book by Kovač that I have completely fallen in love with. While reading I felt like I was listening to an old family friend (someone I have known all my life)  and who is now revealing some important, almost mystical truths to me. The life lessons aren't given easily, so the narrator does not teach them lightly,  rather they are mixed with jokes. sometimes black-humored ones, filled with a dose of pessimism and bitterness.

This novel is a mature and melancholic work in which the boundaries between dream and reality, between essay and autobiography, between objectivity and subjectivity, between family chronicle and personal diary are erased. The writer is often very critical of himself and his family, as well as the countries and places where he lived, grew up and worked. It can be said that there is a lot of bitterness in his writing, but there is really no malice. No, there really is no malice in this book, although there is a lot of strangeness and sometimes coldness. Kovač does not write as someone who wants to humiliate someone with his descriptions but as someone who has tasted the truth, and the truth is often bitter.

After reading this novel, Kovač the writer feels much closer to me, so hopefully I will better understand his other works. I doubt that I would have been able to understand this book this well (or connect to it on a more personal level) if I had read it some long ago, before I got to know the complexity of the country called Bosnia and Herzegovina. I came to this country at the age of twenty-three. I still don't feel I have really gotten to know it.  Sometimes it seems to me that I will never even know it well. It is an unique (sometimes a bit strange) country, but mostly unique. Unique as its people, as well as the Mediterranean itself, as well as this unusual region where long term peace is virtually unknown.

 I think this may be a book that is best understood in more mature years, when the disappointments of life are tasted. At least I had that impression as I read it. It's almost as this book was written with a key and it's hard to decipher if you don't share some experiences with Kovač yourself. These experiences are not always bitter, sometimes they are beautiful. For example, I wonder if I would have experienced this book differently if I hadn’t wandered the streets of the City myself. There is only one city in Croatia that is written in capital letters, only one city that is the city and that is Dubrovnik. This city is almost a special character in this book, but many other places are mentioned as well. The book takes places in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.  Many places where the author lived and stayed are mentioned, some of them Kovač  remembers in detail, and some seem blurry in the writer's memory. Can this book be understood if one does not know at least one person from these places or has not visited some of them at least once? It probably can, but it is easier to understand if you at least know of these places. 

Nevertheless, the one who expects nostalgic descriptions of these places or some past times will surely be disappointed. In writing, Kovač is often cold towards many places and people (even the closest ones). This writer avoids sentimental writing. Kovač does not look with nostalgia at the society in which he grew up. He seems to show understanding towards family members who have fled these parts of our region and went to live abroad. Kovač himself was a fickle spirit and moved often. This writer, for whom religion and even identity is something he moves away from and avoids, seems to acknowledge mysticism only in life and art, but where else. He mystifies neither the past that is as volatile as the present, nor the places of his origin (like he is not even sure if these places still exist). Kovač  follows some truth of his own. Miljenko Jergović said that a real writer can be known from a fake (wannabe) one because the sentence of a real writer can neither be copied nor imitated. I couldn't agree more. 

A true reader will immediately recognize Krleža's or Andrić's sentence. They wrote them the way they did, because they could not write them in an other way. It was  not to attract attention to themselves or create some illusion of style.  It was true and genuine style they possessed. Mirko Kovač is that kind of a writer.  The kind that cannot be imitated. Slightly forgotten like many great writers of these regions, writer that we only remember when they receive a Nobel or some award and then we argue about their origin  and ethnicity. Mirko Kovač's life circumstances, as well as his own decisions, complicated his identity in such a degree that he became everybody's and nobody's. However, in all this, the only thing that matters is that Kovač remained himself. As Sinatra said, he did it his way. 

GRAD U ZRCALU: OBITELJSKI NOKTURNO, AUTOBIOGRAFSKI ROMAN MIRKE KOVAČA (5/5)

Ne znam jesam li ikada pročitala magičniju, nježniju, slojevitiju i sjetniju autobiografiju. Moram priznati da je za mene u prošlosti čitanje Kovačevih djela bilo pomalo i borba. Cijenila sam njegov talent, ali mi samo čitanje nije išlo lagano pa mogu čak reći da sam ga čitala s određenim naporom, svjesna da pokušavam pronuknuti u svijet kojeg ne poznajem. Grad u Zrcalu, naprotiv, pročitah bez pauze, što bi se reklo u dahu. Ovo autobiografsko djelo je prva njegova knjiga koja mi je posve legla i koju čitah kao da slušam nekog starijeg obiteljskog prijatelja kojega poznajem cijeli život i koji mi sada otkriva neke važne, gotovo mistične istine, ali ih ne predaje olako, pa su pomiješane sa šalama, ponekad i crnohumornim te s dozom pesimizma i gorčine. Radi se o zrelom i melankoničnom djelu u kojem se brišu granice između sna i jave, između eseja i autobiografije, između objektivnosti i subjektivnosti, između obiteljske kronike i osobnog dnevnika. Pisac je često veoma kritičan i prema sebi i prema svojoj obitelji pa i prema zemljama i mjestima u kojima je živio, odrastao i radio. Može se reći da u njegovom pisanju ima puno gorčine, ali zapravo nema zlobe. Ne, zlobe u ovoj knjizi doista nema iako ima podosta čudnovatosti pa ponekad i hladnoće. Kovač ne piše kao netko tko želi nekoga poniziti svojim opisima nego kao netko tko je okusio istinu, a istina je često gorka.

Mislim da mi je sada (nakon čitanja Grada u zrcalu) ovaj pisac puno bliži pa ću možda bolje razumijeti i njegovu fikciju te ostala djela. Dvojim da bih uspjela dobro razumijeti ovu knjigu da sam je pročitala nekih davnih dana, prije nego što sam upoznala složenost zemlje koju zovu Bosnom i Hercegovinom. U ovu sam zemlju došla sa dvadeset i tri godine i nemam osjećaj da sam je posve upoznala te mi se čini da je neću nikada ni upoznati. Čudna je to zemlja, ali jedinstvena kao i njeni ljudi, kao i sam Mediteran, kao i ova neobična regija u kojoj je mir nepoznanica. Mislim da je ovo možda knjiga koja se bolje razumije u nekim zrelijim godinama, kada se okuse razočarenja života. Barem sam imala takav dojam dok sam čitala. Kao da je napisana s nekim ključem i da ju teško odgonetnuti ako i sam ne dijeliš neka iskustva s Kovačem. Nisu uvijek ta iskustva gorka, nekad su i lijepa. Tako recimo ne znam bi li ovu knjigu drugačije doživjela da nisam i sama lutala ulicama Grada. Samo je jedan grad u Hrvatskoj koji se piše velikim slovom, Dubrovnik. Taj je Grad gotovo poseban lik u ovoj knjizi, a spominje se i Trebinje i mjesto L.  Spominju se i druga mjesta u kojima je živio i boravio, nekih se sjeća u detalje, a neka kao da su i samom piscu daleka. Radnja se događa u Bosni i Hercegovini, Crnoj gori,  Hrvatskoj i Srbiji. Može li se ova knjiga dosta razumijeti ako čovjek ne pozna barem jednu osobu iz tih opisanih mjesta ili nije barem jednom svratio u neka od njih? Vjerojatno i može, ali ju je svakako lakše razumijeti ako poznajete ova mjesta i njihove ljude. 

No, onaj koji očekuje nostalgične opise nekih prošlih vremena i mjesta sigurno će se razočarati. Kovač je prema brojnim mjestima i osobama (čak i najbližim) često hladan te ne gleda s nostalgijom na društvo u kojem je odrastao. Čini mi se da pokazuje razumijevanje prema članovima obitelji koji su pobjegli glavom bez obzira iz ovih naših krajeva, a i on sam je bio nestalna duha te se često selio. Ovaj pisac kojemu je religija pa i identitet nešto od čega se odmiče i od čega zazire, kao da priznaje mističnost samo životu i umjetnosti ali ničemu drugom. Ni prošlosti koja je nestalna kao i sadašnjost, ni zavičaju kojeg nije ni siguran je li još postoji. Mirko Kovač slijedi neku svoju istinu. Miljenko Jergović je rekao da se pravi pisac od lažnog poznaje po tome što se rečenica pravog pisca ne može niti kopirati niti imitirati. * "Privatni su samo oni dobri i veliki pisci čije se knjige čitaju više puta, da bi se preko njih provjeravalo vlastito sazrijevanje, starenje ili djetinjenje, to su oni pisci koje knjige već toliko dobro znamo da ih i ne dočitavamo, počinjemo od sredine ili od kraja, vadimo ih iz police samo da bismo nasumce pročitali dvije-tri rečenice… Privatni su oni pisci koje čitamo kada ne znamo što bismo čitali, čije knjige uzimamo kad idemo na put, pa nas je strah riskirati. Mirko Kovač jedan je od jedva nekoliko mojih privatnih pisaca, recimo uz Andrića i Krležu, prema kojima nisam promijenio odnos otkako ih čitam. Drugi pisci se mijenjaju, rastu ili se smanjuju, a privatni pisci tu su kao konstante i neka vrsta životnih uporišta. Oni su kao naknadno stečeni unutrašnji organi, ono po čemu se razlikujemo od drugih ljudi. "*

Doista pravi čitatelj će odmah prepoznati Krležinu ili Andrićevu rečenicu. Oni su ih pisali tako jer nisu mogli drugačije a ne da bi na sebe privukli pažnju ili stvorili neku iluzija stila. Takav je pisac i Kovač. Pomalo zaboravljen kao i brojni veliki pisci ovih prostora kojih se sjetimo samo kada dobiju Nobela ili neku nagradu pa se onda svađamo oko njihova podrijetla i pripadnosti. Mirku Kovaču su životne okolnosti a i vlastite odluke, zakomplicale identitet toliko da postao svačiji i ničiji, ali u tome svemu je zapravo jedino bitno da je ostao svoj.

*Miljenko Jergović, Mirko Kovač: Privatni pisac, članak objavljen na stranicama 2012, citat preuzet 2021. 

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NO ENGLISH TRANSLATION EXISTS YET, BUT FORTUNATELY THIS BOOK HAS BEEN WIDELY TRANSLATED IN EUROPE,  SO IF YOU'RE EUROPEAN, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE YOU CAN READ IN YOUR MOTHER TONGUE

This novel isn't available in English but it is available in many other languages such as Spanish, Italian, German (not sure is it an Austrian edition or a German one), Polish, Macedonian, Slovenian and so on. 

This is what I found as description for the Italian version on goodreads: "In questo intenso "notturno familiare" Kovač ci trascina in un tempo e in un luogo perduti, la propria infanzia e giovinezza nella Jugoslavia socialista, con l'intento - ora tenero, ora crudele - di prendere congedo da ogni forma di nostalgia. Recuperando dagli scrigni della memoria un lirico mosaico di voci e personaggi, ci racconta, tra l'altro, di un antico specchio di famiglia che in alcune speciali occasioni, per un breve istante al calar del sole, riflette l'immagine di Dubrovnik, l'antica Ragusa, città eterna e irraggiungibile."

Description of the book in Polish (taken from goodreads): "Nowa powieść Mirka Kovača "Miasto w lustrze" otrzymała wszystkie najważniejsze nagrody w krajach języka serbskiego i chorwackiego.

To po prostu doskonale opowiedziana historia o dorastaniu, historia rodzinna, wszyscy mamy takie, w której nagle centralną postacią okazuje się ojciec, a także realne i wyobrażone miasto – w tym wypadku Dubrownik – marzenie, do którego nie da się dotrzeć czy dorosnąć...."

 Description of this book in Macedonian: "Награди:„Владимир Назор“, „Аугуст Шеноа“ и „Киклоп“ во Хрватска, „13 јули“ во Црна Гора и „Меша Селимовиќ“ во Босна и Херцеговина. Оваа меланхолична семејна хроника, раскажана во прво лице, со автобиографски елементи, на извесен начин претставува простување на писателот од родниот крај: едноставно раскажано семејно ноктурно ..."

Btw, I love the covers for these translated editions, they are all very pretty. It is fun seeing the title of this novel in so many languages so I included these editions in my collages. Naturally, I have read this book in Croatian (that is in my mother tongue). From what I found on Amazon and other sites, Kovač's translated works are ranked highly, so why not give them a try?

Thank you so much for reading and visiting. Have a lovely day!