From the hilly, forested, famous Pantovčak, a wonderful view of the panorama of Zagreb. On a small house, a marble memorial plaque with the inscription: “In this house on 25 and 26 February 1928, the VIII conference of the Zagreb party organization was held, which was attended by comrade Tito".
From the bell tower of the old church, a clock appears, ticking time, which flows unstoppably...
The cawing of hungry crows; it is autumn... The maple tree blushed.
The memory lasts. Back in the seventies, I interviewed almost all the living monuments of Yugoslav literature at the time. All I needed was an encyclopedist. Miroslav Krleža, one of the greatest Yugoslav and Croatian writers. I called him from Titograd and asked for an interview. We talked about literature. At first he was a little reluctant...
- Are you a young man!? - Krleža suddenly asked me.
- I did!
- Come on, come to me in Zagreb!
I'm not leaving. Unfortunately, I was distracted by some other editorial work. Today-tomorrow, today-tomorrow, and so my scheduled interview with Miroslav Krleža is ruined.
Founder of the Croatian Lexicographic Institute. On the imposing Zagreb palace in large letters is written: "Lexicographic Institute Miroslav Krleža".
Meetings with Krklec
But, if I "dropped" Krleža, I didn't Gustav KrklecI met him often, came to his home in Zagreb, at Gundulićeva 48. On the wall are two paintings by Montenegrin painters, Milo Milunović i Jovan Zonjić. Krklec told me that Milunović taught him to play billiards in Paris, at the "Café des Lilas"...
I met Krklec at the Yugoslav Youth Poetry Festival in Vrbas, where he was a regular and main guest. He stayed with his wife at the “Bačka” hotel, always in the same room. It was a pleasure to listen to him; witty, cheerful; now a count from Zagorje, now a “bohemian” from Skadarlija. We also met in the studio of a Montenegrin painter in Vrbas, my friend from Cetinje, Ratka Šuta ŠoćaWith the song “Eight Tamburitza Players from Petrovaradin” (“Stop the Danube and the old clocks, this is my song...”), Šoć gave Vojvodina an “unofficial anthem.” He wrote poetry; he recited.
Tambourine players, tambourine players, play me songs of long ago... While we were drinking brandy from ceramic coffee mugs in the painter's studio, Krklec and Šoć were "competing" over who could recite a poem better...
Because cities without their poets are not cities (Matos).
And Krklec “Matoš's apprentice”.
- It is precisely this "suckiness" of Matoš's that attracts me to the feuilleton. Matoš's opus is the best testimony that even feuilleton does not "die" so easily and lightly. - Krklec tells me.
During his stay at the Vrbas Festival, Krklec told me that in 1924, as a young journalist for the Belgrade newspaper "Vreme", he traveled through Montenegro from Čakor to the sea and published a series of reports entitled "By Ford through Montenegro", describing Montenegrin towns, Andrijevica, Berane, Podgorica, Cetinje, Kotor...
I became interested in the manuscript; the author promised to give it to me.
I traveled to Zagreb, received a forty-page typed text from the writer's home (Gundulićeva 48), and wrote a conversation with Krklec about his "old days" in Montenegro.
Letters, letters...
Krklec wrote to me from Zagreb on February 29, 1972: “Dear Comrade Vuković, I was in Belgrade for ten days, and there ‘a man told me’ that ‘Pobjeda’ had announced my contributions. However, my paper was suspended a month ago, probably because I did not send the requested subscription. The fault for this omission is that my wife, who does these jobs, fell ill with sciatica, so I did not want to bother her. So please send me all the issues of the paper that mention this, as well as the issues in which my old reports will (eventually) be published. And please continue to send me your paper, I will transfer the subscription at the first opportunity. I hope that after all this time you were able to use at least some of the material as we agreed. Draško Redžep "He told me in Novi Sad that I would be invited to Vrbas this year as well, so I hope we will meet there. With a request for a response as soon as possible, your old Gustav Krklec warmly greets you."
I did several interviews with Krklec. Once I sent him questions, and he replied with a note: "Dear Slobodan, I barely managed to finish this, and I hope it's not too late. If it doesn't suit you, please return the manuscript to me, because it was written 'live'... Warm regards, Yours faithfully, Mr. Krklec".
He tells me that he has received another reminder for his subscription to "Pobjeda", which, he says, "I enjoy reading because I'm interested in how things are with you".
With the then editor-in-chief of "Pobjeda" With love, King, I arranged to send him the newspaper for free because he had paid that amount with his contributions.
I also met Krklec in Montenegro; in Kotor, where he came to visit his daughter. Gordon, then at the "Ratković Poetry Evenings" in Bijelo Polje.
- Bijelo Polje is one of the exciting experiences of my "late summers". Wonderful people, fresh air, "a-ma-ha" camaraderie. I will go again if they invite me to the Ratković Days. Risto He was a good comrade and a sincere friend to me. That is not easily forgotten. - Gustav told me. We last met in early September 1973 in Stolac, at the Stolac Literary Meetings "The Word of Bitterness". I photographed him then.
Zagreb talks
I used to come to Zagreb on journalistic work. I used to meet with Arsen Dedić, interviewed Miu Oremović, a prominent Croatian film and theater actress, spoke with on several occasions Miš Broz, Tito's son...
Once, in the City Cafe, on the Ban's Square Jelačica, I found a painter Stojan Aralic; elegant, always with a bow tie. And he painted with a bow tie. I knew him from before, I used to come to his Belgrade studio.
Lika.
- I am delighted with the Lika landscape; Lika with its fields, wheat, hills and plum trees; with its stone houses. - Aralica told me.
In the late nineties, I called Arsen Dedić and for the newspaper I edited, requested an interview; sent questions. He responded quickly, sending me the answers, along with a note:
“Dear and dear Vuković, I did what I knew and could. Either publish it or throw it away, but under no circumstances change anything for me. I am sure you would not do that. I respect my word, no matter whose it is and no matter what it is. I would like you to send me a copy of the conversation, if it is published. If the wounds heal, and we know that some never will, I would like to meet. Until then, with the best of intentions, Arsen greets you. Zagreb, XI/'97”
Negoš's connections
Great traveler, bishop and lord of Montenegro, NjegosIn Europe traveled by sea; by ship from Kotor, via Dubrovnik, Split, to Trieste, and from there to imperial Vienna, St. Petersburg; down Italy, to Livorno, Pisa, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Pompeii...
Njegoš's friendships and correspondence with By Ljudevit Gaj, ban Josip Jelačić, Stanko Vraz, Petar Preradović, Mažuranić and other prominent Croats of that time, which shows that the traditional ties between the Montenegrin and Croatian people are deep. (Njegoš's "The False Emperor Šćepan Mali" was printed in Zagreb).
In the epic "Mountain Wreath", Njegoš encouraged all South Slavic peoples, and especially, as he said, "our falcon brothers, the Dalmatians and the brave Croats."
... And: here I am in Zagreb after a long time. Everything is the same and not the same. Zagreb is Europe. Among the ten best European cities for a healthy life, Zagreb is on a par with Lisbon, Vienna, Prague, Zurich... Everywhere you can feel that the Republic of Croatia is in the European Union...
I visited some "old", iconic places. I had a coffee at "Kavkaz" (Theatre Café). It was full of young people, mostly students from the nearby Faculty of Law.
In the city center, Street Tina Ujević, one of the greatest Croatian poets. He also lived in Nikšić. He sang: “Tonight my forehead is burning,/ tonight my eyelids are sweating;/ and my thoughts are illuminated by sleep,/ I will die tonight of beauty,/ The soul is passionate in the depths,/ it is gnawing at the bottom of the night;/ we cry, we cry in silence,/ we die, we die in solitude”.
I meet a painter. Dimitrija Popović and his wife, Strawberry. I told them a true anecdote. While we lived in Cetinje, we were friends with Miloš Vušković i Aco Prijić, Montenegrin painters. One day they sat in our home.
- There's a little Popović in the Gymnasium, he draws great! - said Miloš Vušković.
I told this to Dimitri and Jagoda. They burst out laughing.
Surprise in the taxi
The world is small. Miracles happen. In Gundulićeva, I got into a taxi. The talkative Zagreb taxi driver, I remember Jevrem Brković!
- Jevrem gave me a book, "Sons of Whores", with a dedication. He lived at number 81 on Ilica. - says the taxi driver Joseph.
Blue trams are running along Šište Ilica.
I came to number 81, where one of the most important Montenegrin writers, academician Jevrem Brković, lived in exile for seven years...
Zagreb has just gained another large theatre. This artistic event celebrates the history and heralds the future of the national theatre. The Croatian National Theatre has entered a new era with the opening of its second stage (HNK2) on Zagreb's Trešnjevka. The theatre festival began with the performance of Celebrate the arts, a contemporary interpretation of the stage prologue that was presented Emperor Franz Joseph, One hundred and thirty years ago, the main building of the Croatian National Theatre opened. The new theatre, HNK2, will, as it was pointed out, offer innovative forms for a younger audience, who are increasingly coming to the theatre...
A flock of pigeons flutters from Ban Jelačica Square.
Bonus video:
