Konavle in Pula, 2024

The Pula Book Fair, entitled "Dreaming of Books in Istria”, saw its 30th edition this year. The program of the Fair was held from November 29 to December 8 in the Home of Croatian Veterans at Leharova 1 in Pula. During those 10 days, Pula was alive with authors, publishers, photographers, cartoonists, musicians, winemakers and other guests, and above all with a large and diverse audience. The Pula Book Fair has always been known as a vibrant meeting place for book lovers, and its organizers passionately manage the organization and selection of content. There is something for everyone at the Fair, as musical, exhibition and theater programs are interwoven with literary programs. The ground floor of the Home of Croatian Veterans was filled with a large number of publishers' stands where over a hundred authors were represented. The crowd at the stands was constant, which gives hope that there is a great interest in the books despite new technologies. 

(A Glossary of Croatian words is at the bottom)

The theme of this year's Pula Book Fair was the theme of microcosm. As stated on the Fair’s website, “…whose thirty-year journey has been marked by the constant interweaving of these small identity ‘continents’ and the big world…. At the same time, they are looking for fragments of cultural entities that have been dissolved by new globalization and bureaucratic trends, and are looking for models to connect true breakthroughs in culture and of art.” It seems that at this thirtieth fair, they questioned every form of microcosm of creativity. Konavle also found itself in microcosm issues.

Konavle was presented as a guest region of Croatia at the Fair this year. This is the first time that the Pula Book Fair has hosted another creative space, and was led by the Croatian lexicographer and writer Vlaho Bogišić from Konavle. Art, music and theater artists, writers and authors, and winemakers from Konavle were all represented. Vlaho Bogišić curated the program with the idea of ​​Konavle as a self-sustaining social and cultural reality that pulsates inside its microcosm. For the people of Istria, the arrival of Konavle in Istria caused completely new concepts, from the identity issues of people from the border to the meeting point of Terra Magica (Istria) with Terra Eterica (Konavle), as the young winemaker Petar Crvik calls Konavle. This was really an indicator that through microcosms we mirror reality and learn about ourselves.

The Konavle part of the program began on December 5 with the exhibition of Konavle landscapes “Flight with Fairies” by Antonija Rusković in the Cvajner Gallery, which was opened by art historian Gorka Cvajner and Ljuba Gamulin. On the same day, at 5:00 p.m., winemakers from Istria and Konavle gathered in the Saga of Wine. We had the opportunity to see a selection from two wine producing regions in one place. The wine stand in the middle of the book fair stood next to the stand of Konavle - a guest region, where publishing activities in Konavle were exhibited. On the shelves, one could see numerous editions of the Matica Hrvatska Konavle branch, the Museums and Galleries of Konavle, as well as Niko Kapetanić's own publications. All these books together testified to the serious publishing activity that there is in Konavle — from poets Petar Obad and Nikša Pendo to scientific publications about Konavle by Radovan Kranjčev, Krešimir Veselić and others. The most visually rich part of the stand were the exhibition catalogs of the Museums and Galleries of Konavle. The publications of Niko Kapetanić, Konavle historian and writer, aroused special interest in Konavle’s history. Konavle presented all these books, along with children's picture books, embroidery handbooks, and photo monographs, as a real publishing microcosm. 

At 7:00 p.m. on the same day, the Red Salon at the Fair was full of Konavle admirers and those interested in Konavle, because the program included the promotion of Rječnik zaljubljenika u Konavle by Vlaho Bogišić.

Rječnik zaljubljenika u Konavle (Konavle Lovers' Dictionary), published by Fraktura in Zagreb, is the latest book about Konavle. Although the title contains the term dictionary, it is actually a novel in which the author describes the history and life of Konavle, positioning titles in alphabetical order, just like in a dictionary. The stories about Konavle are lined up one after another and slowly create a mosaic about Konavle. The author himself states that "Everything in Konavle begins in a story, and how it ends is up to the one who tells the story or follows the story. One becomes a lover of Konavle through words, with čempresi and odrinas, lorko and lempo, with malvasia and kopsica, pandišpanj and mantala ... and he locates Konavle as the borderland with Hellas, where it is like an insular shell over which winged dragons and white fairies keep watch. The tangible childhood of our European homeland remains in life and stories."

The promotion was moderated by Aljoša Pužar, Croatian-Slovenian-Italian culturologist, anthropologist and writer, and joined by Mate Matišić, award-winning Croatian playwright, screenwriter, composer and musician; Božo Lasić, Mayor of Konavle Municipality; Ljuba Gamulin; and the author himself, Vlaho Bogišić. Thus, another collection of stories from Konavle, another presentation of Konavle, was sent out into the world interpreted with varying perspectives.

On Friday, December 6 at 11 a.m., a program entitled Breakfast with the Author was held. Perhaps the best covered part of the Fair’s program in the media, this program has been presenting great authors moderated by selected presenters for years. In the Mozart Cafe, in a special setting, a conversation with an author takes place in front of an audience. The practice is that intriguing authors and intriguing presenters participate in this program, producing interesting content and leaving added value in the national-cultural being. Breakfast with the Author has thus acquired the status of the most popular program of the Fair. On this Friday, guest author Vlaho Bogišić, with moderator Aljoša Pužar, positioned Konavle in the national cultural world once and today. They talked about lexicography, about Šuvar, Krleža, about Rafo and Baldo Bogišić, about the route Pićete-Dubrovnik-Zagreb, which before traffic connections, were much closer to the world than they are today. The audience rewarded Vlaho’s interpretations with thunderous applause several times, and the entire program was broadcast on the 3rd program of HRT the same evening.

On Saturday, December 7, 2024, the guest at Breakfast with the Author was our diva, Tereza Kesovija, on the topic of “Homage to Luko Paljetak” (famous Croatian poet originating from Konavle). Vlaho Bogišić talked with her about both the great Luko Paljetak and about numerous other Konavle, Dubrovnik, Paris and Zagreb topics.

At 12:30 in the Mozart Cafe, Histrokosmos began. This la gente di frontiera program was hosted by the well-known actor Nikša Kušelj from Cavtat, who gave the program special significance with his musical performance. Participants in the program were Niko Karaman, Moreno Coronica, Juraj Magud and Joško Belamarić. Karaman’s Malvasija Dubrovnik wine and Istrian Malvasija Ottaviano were introduced. However, in the program unit Story on Wine, which was held every day, among other Konavle wineries presenting were Vinarija Crvik from Komaji, Zoro Vina from Popovići, and Vinarija Magud and Dubrovnik cellars from Gruda. These wines could be enjoyed by all the Fair guests.

And so with conversations, books and a little wine, Konavle pulsated with all its being in Pula. Konavle, as a territory 16 times smaller than Istria, with 22 times fewer inhabitants, in the embrace of Istria, realized and presented its publishing potential, and the cultural charge that makes Konavle special and attractive. This was the first time that such a story was told about Konavle. Let's hope not the last.

Thank you to the organizers of Book Fair of Istria in Pula, and to everyone who contributed to the visibility of Konavle's cultural heritage.

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Glossary:

Čempresi - Cypress trees. Common trees indigenous to Konavle.

Lorko - A mythical being from Konavle folklore. A scary character who comes out at night and disturbs the locals. That is why it is said that when someone is awake at night, he is like Lorko.

Odrina - A trellis that is placed above terraces so that vines or some other plant can grow on it. Every gabled house on the south side of Konavle has odrinas of grape vines. They provide shade and grapes.

Lempo - A short, sudden storm of wind, thunder and rain that most often occurs in summer.

Malvasija - A sweet white wine that is used in Konavle on special occasions. Dubrovnik malvasia is grown in Konavle and was a favorite drink at the Dubrovnik court.

Kopsica - Dried, smoked goat thigh.

Mantala - A sweet made from reduced grape juice and wheat flour, without sugar. It is made from the dregs left over after the grape juice is drained in winemaking. Mantala is the oldest known Konavle sweet. It is strongly flavored with cloves.

Pandišpanj - Sponge cake served In Konavle at any type of celebration. It is made from eggs, wheat flour and sugar only.