Books....

Recently, I read an excellent book - Rijeka and the Rijeka region in Old English Travel Books. It is about the impressions and exploits of genteel folk visiting the Rijeka area, the kind who used to go on European tours in the nineteenth century to learn more about themselves and others. There were a number of reasons why I enjoyed this book as much as I did, but the main one was because of the way in which it has been written. Whilst reading it, I got the overwhelming impression that the author of the book had written it for no other reason than simply because he has a deep interest in the writings of past British travellers. A not very enlightening point to make perhaps, but there was something so refreshing about reading a book about these parts that does not make an argument, try to guide you to certain places or advise you on what to do or what not to do.

Another book I read recently that was of a similar ilk - and sadly for the moment is one that is only in the Croatian language - was 'Mali svjedoci velikih promjena - Zivot Svetojelencana u 20. stoljecu' [Small witnesses to huge changes - the life of people in Sv. Jelena in the 2oth century]. This book offers an account of the lives of people in a small village near Opatija and is the product of the activities of a local history group. Again it does not offer an argument, or try to promote the village in any way, but instead gives you a very detailed insight into the lives of the people who lived there. Somehow in amongst all the guide books on Croatia, and all the tomes on the Balkans, it provides a very refreshing read.

I personally feel that there should be more books like this published about Croatia. Perhaps I am a bit jaded from having to read books for work that offer an analysis about the break-up of Yugoslavia or texts that focus on tourism in Croatia. I am not for one minute saying that these books don't have their value or are not interesting to readers, but what they all seem to share is an absence of an account of the lives of 'ordinary people'. The book about Sv. Jelena in particular provides more of an insight about life in Croatia than most other books I have read, precisely because it does not set out to prove a point or draw visitors to a certain place. Yet, because such books have got only a very small potential audience they are not commercially interesting and therefore they often don't get translated into English and money is not spent marketing them.
This is one of the main reasons behind our setting up of this website - books-croatia - to try and provide a focal point where these books can see the light of day. It would be interesting to hear from others what they think - in terms of what books they would like to read about Croatia that are in English.