„Underground Barbie“ and „Mediterranean: A Cultural Landscape“ in London

On 12 March 2025, the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia hosted Croatian participants of the London Book Fair, together with their international publishing colleagues and associates, as well as members of the Croatian community in the United Kingdom with professional links to the publishing sector. A presentation and reception were held on the occasion.

Ivan Sršen of the publishing house Sandorf and Ljubica Letinić of Audio Store Transonica presented the latest Croatian literary publications. The evening began with excerpts from the audio edition of Predrag Matvejević’s (1932 - 2017) Mediteranski brevijar (Mediterranean: A Cultural Landscape), originally published in print in 1987 and now also available to readers and listeners via the “book&zvook” platform. As publishers often point out, it is the most internationally renowned Croatian book and the most widely translated work of Croatian literature.

Among the guests at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in London was Croatian author Maša Kolanović (1979), whose 2008 novel Sloboština Barbie was published in January this year in both print and audio editions in English under the title Underground Barbie, having first been introduced to the American market. This novel about childhood, children’s play, and growing up in Zagreb during the Croatian Homeland War also uses dark humour to criticise consumer society and portray the popular culture of the early 1990s. The English-language audio edition is narrated by the well-known Croatian singer of that era, Tajči.

The publishers also answered questions from attendees, while the presentation was moderated by First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia, Dajana Antonija Bebek. The event was also attended by Croatian actors Petar Cvirn and Ivan Marević, who have been living and working in London for many years.

This side event, organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia alongside the London Book Fair (held from 11 to 13 March 2025 at Olympia, London), brought together participants in an atmosphere of creative and professional networking. It also highlighted the importance that Croatian diplomacy places on the translation of Croatian literature into foreign languages, opening up new opportunities for the international promotion of Croatian culture.

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