WHAT I WORE FOR MIRO GAVRAN'S BOOK PROMOTION IN MOSTAR

 Hello dear readers! In this post, I'll share my impressions from Miro Gavran's book promotion. Miro Gavran is an established Croatian author that  I hold in high esteem. So, when I saw then he was coming to Mostar, I knew I had to be there, no matter how long my work day had been. Anyway, I'll also share with you what I wore to this book promotion. What you wear for book promotions? I attend book promotions quite often and I suppose I dress somewhat formal for them (example here). 

I'm a Renaissance woman at heart. I remember how one of my professors (Slobodan Prosperov Novak) told me that in Renaissance people would get dressed up before they stepped into their libraries. They thought that one should dress up to be in presence of books. For, books are a collection of knowledge and art. So, dressing up to be in presence of knowledge and art makes perfect sense. A library is like a museum, really. One should have some decorum when it comes to books! 

I admit that I'm a sort who likes to dress up in general, so it's nice to see that Renaissance men advocated for the same.  I'm someone who thinks we should dress up every day. By dressing up, I don't necessarily mean wearing formal clothes, but wearing something fun and  just generally having lovely time and enjoying fashion. What I mean is that we should use clothes to make ourselves feel better and lift ourselves up. I feel like today people feel they need to be 'comfortable' always. However, what is really comfortable about everyone wearing the same thing? Are you sure you're being comfortable and not just scared of making an effort because it might look like you actually care?

THE STORY OF MY OUTFIT

THE GREEN GEOMETRICAL PRINT DRESS- a recent second hand purchase. This was my first time wearing it on blog! I also wore it on its own once, but I didn't take photographs.

THE BLACK FLARED LEGGINGS- HERE

THE BLACK BLAZER- handmade and designed by local seamstress Izeta. 

THE BLACK STILETTOES- old, see how I styled them here with a black dress and here. 

Who is Miro Gavran? This extremely prolific contemporary Croatian author (novelist and playwright) is the only living author to have his own theatre festival. He is the most translated Croatian author. If you want to read something a contemporary Croatian writer, look no further. Gavran's works have been translated to forty languages so chances are you will be able to read him in your mother tongue or in another language you know! Below is more information about Gavran, quoted from his official site: 

MIRO GAVRAN is a contemporary Croatian author, born in 1961. His works have been translated into 40 languages, and his books are published in 250 different editions at home and abroad. His dramas and comedies have had more than 400 theatre premiers around the world and have been seen by more than four million theatre-goers.

He is probably the only living playwright in the world who has had a festival dedicated solely to his dramas and comedies in five different countries. The festival known as the GavranFest was founded in the city of Trnava in Slovakia in 2003, moved to Krakow in Poland in 2013, while as of 2016 has been held in Prague in Czeck Republic, in 2019 in Augsburg in Germany, and 2020 Belgrade Serbia.

He debuted in 1983 with the drama Creon’s Antigone, speaking out forcefully about political manipulation. This was followed three years later by the drama Night of the Gods, the theme being the relationship between the artist and the powers-that-be under a totalitarian system. He then wrote a cycle of plays concentrating on male-female relations, in which his heroes were often great historical persons. He has created a series of complex female characters. His heroines are both strong and emotional. He has written 55 plays to date, including Death of an Actor, All About Women, All About Men, George Washington’s Loves, Chekhov Says Good-Bye to Tolstoy, How To Kill The President, Greta Garbo’s Secret,Laughing Prohibited,  Parallel Worlds, Nora in Our Time, My Wife’s Husband, Dr Freud’s Patient, The Doll, Ice Cream, Beer, Your Every Birthday, Perfect Partner…

There have been first nights of his plays throughout the world, in Rotterdam, Washington, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Buenos Aires, Waterford, Mumbai, Bratislava, Prague, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Krakow, Belgrade, Budapest, Athens, Augsburg, Vienna, Sofia, New York, Rome, Los Angeles, Riga, Vilnius…

He has had ten novels published: Forgotten Son, How We Broke Our Legs, Klara, Margita or A Journey into a Former Life, Judith, John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate, The Only Witness to Beauty, Kafka’s Friend and A Few Birds and One Sky along with two collections of short stories entitled Small Unusual People and Stories of Solitude.

 

In his early novels, he describes the life in the Croatian provinces, featuring everyday folk, anti-heroes of sorts, who retain a positive stance towards life even when they are confronted with injustice and major difficulties. This is perhaps best seen in his novel, Forgotten Son (1989), in which the central personage is a slightly mentally challenged young man of twenty.

As a forty-year-old, Gavran started to write psychological-existential novels inspired by biblical characters, bringing them nearer to the sensibilities of contemporary readers. These books have been popular with both believers and non-believers, since their messages are universal.

His books have been published in all corners of the globe: in Beijing, Vienna, St Petersburg, Oslo, Istanbul, Paris, Prague, Bratislava, Sofia, Ljubljana, Cairo, Amsterdam, Jaipur…

Gavran has received over 30 literary awards in Croatia and abroad, including the CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME Award, given annually in Budapest to the best Central European author for the overall opus, as well as the EUROPEAN CIRCLE Award given to writers for the confirmation of European values in their texts.

Filling his work with insight and humour, Miro Gavran has written ten books for children and young people: All Sorts of Things in My Head, How Dad Won Mum, Head Over Heels in Love, Happy Days, Farewell Letter, Plays with a Head and a Tail, Try to Forget, Plays for children, The Teacher of My Dreams and A Summer to Remember. These books have also found their way to adult readers.

Gavran earned his degree in Dramaturgy at the Academy of Theatre, Film and Television in Zagreb.

He first worked as a dramaturge and artistic director at the famous ITD Theatre in Zagreb (1986 – 1992) . Since January 1993, he has been living and working as a freelance, professional writer. His theatre and prose texts have been included in numerous anthologies in Croatia and around the globe, and his work is studied at universities throughout the world.

Since April 2014 he has been a full member of the Russian Academy of Literature and since May 2014 an associate member of the Croatian Academy of Science and Art. In November of 2016 he became member of the Slovene Literature and Arts Academy whose residence is Varna in Bulgaria.

He was awarded “Dr Alois Mock Europapreis 2017” award in December 2017. The Alois Mock award has been handed out for fourteen years already to notable individuals who, in the spirit of the European idea of community, have promoted European values and unity through their literary or journalistic work, activities in the public sector, in organizations or in business.

Miro Gavran received the Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria in Austrian Cultural Forum, Zagreb on March 20. It was awarded to him by the president of the Republic of Austria.

He was named the first Tie Ambassador by the Academia Cravatica from Zagreb in September 2018.

He is married to the actress Mladena Gavran, and they founded the GAVRAN Theatre in 2002. Their son Jakov is also an actor. SOURCE:  http://www.mirogavran.com/ 26.4. 2022.

MY IMPRESSIONS FROM THE BOOK PROMOTION

Back to the subject and that's the book promotion. 

The promotion of Mira Gavran's novel "Portret duše" in Mostar was a lovely experience. It is always a pleasure to attend the signings of his works. Whenever I can, I go to book promotions and signings. Books are treasures of knowledge, but a book with a dedication is something even more special. Every book promotion is also an opportunity to learn something new.

What I particularly remember among the conversations at this promotion is that part of the conversation about marital cooperation. It is somewhat common knowledge that Miro Gavran and his wife, the theater actress Mladena Gavran, complement each other very well professionally, but it was interesting to me to hear that they actually have the same views on theatre. Basically, there is no difference of opinion between them, which makes it a lot easier for them to work as a team.

At the promotion of the book, we had the opportunity to watch the part about the filming of the film ' The Conspirators / Urotnici' about the Frankopans of Zrín, actually the first film of its kind. Filming of the film started a few months ago in Čakovec, so this promotional material was actually shown for the first time.

We had the opportunity to see certain scenes from the film "The Conspirators" directed by the three-time winner of the Emmy award Bobby Boško Grubić. In addition, we watched a part where the actors talked about their roles. This film was shot based on Gavran's play of the same name, which the author wrote before I was born. He created the screenplay for the film based on his play work, expanding the plot and adding more characters. During the promotion, Gavran also said something about the process of adapting the play, of writing the script and turning the drama "The Conspirators" into a movie. Anyway, it was interesting to see and hear more about it.

WHERE WAS THE BOOK PROMOTION HELD?

It was held in the Croatian  cultural cente (home of culture) Stjepan Kosača.  Fun fact: I was legally married in this cultural centre. This is where civil weddings are held. My husband and I had the civil and religious service on the same day. The religious service was at a local church and the civil one right here. I took many pictures in front of it, but not on this day. So, here is one of the photographs from my archives. 

STJEPAN KOSAČA 

You can see more photographs of Croatian cultural centre/theater  Stjepan Kosača here , here , here , here and here. 

QUOTED FROM https://kosaca.ba/objekt/the-croatian-house-herceg-stjepan-kosaca/?lang=en

The Croatian house Herceg Stjepan Kosača

HERITAGE

The institution Croatian house Herceg Stjepan Kosača, as the legal successor of the former House of culture, was founded as a public company in 1994. Work on the building itself began in 1959, and construction material was used that was prepared for the construction of the cathedral church. The designer of the building was Reuf Kadić from Sarajevo.
Today, the complex consists of several halls for various purposes, the largest concert hall with 726 seats and ancillary facilities, then the art gallery of Queen Katarina Kosača and finally a small hall - amphitheater with 120 seats for seminars, presentations or book promotions. The main activities are a space for the organization of cultural, concert or theater events, screenings of films and various artistic and literary works as well as reproductive performances.

         FIND MORE PHOTOS FROM MOSTAR AND MORE POSTS ABOUT MOSTAR

OUTFIT POST, MOSTAR APRIL 2024

ONE OF MY LAST POST FROM MOSTAR HERE

ZRINJEVAC PARK IN WINTER 

PHOTOS OF NERETVA RIVER & SPORTY STYLING 2023

OUTFIT POST FEATURING  A LEATHER JACKET IN MOSTAR CITY

SPANISH SQUARE IN MOSTAR CITY

WHAT HAVE I BEEN WEARING IN MOSTAR? 

ŠANTIĆEVA THE MOST PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY STREET IN MOSTAR 2022

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/04/happy-easter-weekend-everyone-wiwt.html- EASTER POST FROM MY HOME

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/04/a-vintage-white-blazer-blue-jeans-diy.html- RESTAURANT ROMANCA

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/04/ozz-students-fashion-show-under.html- MOSTAR INTERNATIONAL FAIR 

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2022/03/uno-nessuno-e-centomila-one-no-one-and.html-  ŠANTIĆ STREET IN MOSTAR

THE JAPANESE CHERRY TREES IN MOSTAR  / PARK ZRINJEVAC  FASHION ILLUSTRATION

TWO MORE POSTS ABOUT MOSTAR: HERE & HERE SPANISH SQUARE MOSTAR HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM MOSTAR ! FAREWELL TO SUMMER FROM MOSTAR CITY  2018 STREET ART MOSTAR , 2016 STREET ART , 2021 STREETART and also here , here and here.   STROLLING MOSTAR CITY 2021  

OLDER posts about Mostar  

1. You can see Mostar from the bird perspective in my previous posts (here, here and here). 

2. One of my favourite streets in Mostar here and here.

 3. Musala bridge (also known under its old name Tito's bridge here and here)

 4. You can see photographs of Mostar's Catholic cathedral here.

5. You can see images of Mostar and its famous Nertva river here, here and here.

 6. You can see the surrounds of one of its most iconic Catholic churches in Mostar here.

7. You can see both photographs of old bridge and my drawing of it here. 

CAN YOU SEE HOW OBSSESSED I AM WITH BLOGGING ABOUT MOSTAR YET?

8. Another one of my favourites when it comes to streets here. 

9. You can see photographs of Croatian cultural centre/theater here , here , here , here and here. 

10. You can see photographs of the main city park here here, here, here and here.

11. You can see images of Spanish square here, here , here , here and here. 

12. You can see photographs of Custom's bridge here and here.

 13. You can see photographs of the new bridge here and here. 14. A few photographs from old city centre (2018) here. 

15. What to wear for sightseeing Mostar in summer here.

16. This post is focused on 7 outfits I wore but you can see many of Mostar's attractions there as well. I suppose the same can be said for most of my outfit posts. 17. Mostar as an Easter destination (2019) here.

DON'T FORGET - MOSTAR IS A GREAT DINNING DESTINATION!

18. Mostar dinning and cafe recommendations here. 

19. Hiking options in Mostar here.

 20. My drawing of Mostar old bridge here. 

21. University campus in Mostar here. 

22. How I have fallen in love with Mostar here.

SO, WHAT BUILDING IS THIS ONE YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME? 

A NEO BAROQUE BUILDING THAT IS NOW RECTORATE OF CROATIAN UNIVERSITY IN MOSTAR

This beautiful neo baroque building was built in 1897 by a construction entrepreneur Eduard Fesser.  Supposedly, he moved to Mostar because his son was sick and the doctors recommended Mediterranean climate. This villa, like many others, was build during the rule of Austrian Hungarian Empire.

Thank you for reading and visiting! Have a nice day.