AUTHORS' HOUSE

subota, 11.03.2006.

AUTHORS' HOUSE PRESENTS AWARD-WINNING CROATIAN AUTHORS

There are currently three awards for best children's books in Croatia.

The GRIGOR VITEZ Award, named after the great Croatian poet for children, is a prestigious annual award. It is awarded by a jury to both the author of a text and an illustrator merited as being most successful in their particular art form. Almost the entire annual publication – 70 to 100 titles – is taken into consideration. The Charter of the GRIGOR VITEZ Award is also given to those publishers who are deemed as having produced a successful publication of exceedingly high quality. The GOLDEN BIRD Special Award is also occasionally given for exceptional long-term contributions by authors in the field of children’s books.

The MATO LOVRAK Award, named after the author of well-known and eagerly read novels for children, is also awarded annually for best novel.

The SHEEP IN A BOX Award was founded last year and is named after a motive from a „Little Prince“ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is awarded for best picture book. Both text and illustrations are taken into consideration for this award, especially their correlation and harmony.

This catalogue presents the winners of these awards in 2005.

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Vjekoslav Vojo Radoičić

Vjekoslav Vojo Radoičić, painter, illustrator, scenographer, was born in 1930 in Požega. He is a full member of the Croatian Association of Artists and the Verein Bildenden Künstler Österreich.
He has had over 170 one-man exhibitions, has produced around fifty scenographies for the theatre and has illustrated countless children’s books and texts for children. Radoičić’s work is original, unconventional and captivating, and has received numerous prestigious awards both at home and abroad. In 2002 he was nominated for the prestigious international award, the Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustrations for children. In 2005 he received the "Grigor Vitez" Award for his illustrations for Morski iigrokazi (Sea Plays) and Bajkoviti igrokazi (Fairy Plays).
He lives and works in Rijeka and Begovo Razdolje.

contact:
Vjekoslav Vojo Radoičić
Dr. Z. Kučića 4
51000 RIJEKA
Croatia

Winner of the Award GRIGOR VITEZ 2005. for illustrations

Sea Plays - text by Ludwig Bauer, illustrations by Vojo Radoičić

These two theatrical dramatic pieces for puppets – Potraga za blagom (Treasure Hunt) and Ronilac bisera (The Pearl Diver) are plays for children and teenagers to the theme of friendship, solidarity and community. Apart from the stimulating puppet action and performance by actors, the audience also participates in the pieces.
This book is the product of the creative and imaginative endeavours of two renowned authors – a writer and an illustrator, who is one of Croatia’s most awarded painters; in other words, it is the result of the vibrant cooperation and friendship during the book’s creation. It is exceptional in that it is a model for work in the future, namely, during the process of bringing the puppets to life on the stage. It is a stage production guideline of sorts as each reading or production is unique.
With this book, Ludwig Bauer and Vojo Radoičić have set a new course for drama pieces written for children in Croatia, who both benefit from, but also enact and help to recreate the authors’ original intentions within their own imaginary worlds.

Fairy Plays- text by Ludwig Bauer, illustrations by Vojo Radoičić

These two richly illustrated theatrical dramatic pieces for puppets– Tko je oklevetao vuka? (Who Told on Wolf?) and Vještica Liza Hainburška (Liza Hainburška, the Witch) – have been written for children and teenagers to the theme of friendship, solidarity and community.
In this unusual book, Ludwig Bauer and Vojo Radoičić once again set the course for drama pieces written for children in Croatia, as a model for the creative staging of this work.

© Golden marketing, Zagreb

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Manuela Vladić - Maštruko

Manuela Vladić - Maštruko was born in 1962 and grew up in Zadar. She went on to finish her schooling in Zagreb and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in the class of Prof. painter Ferdinand Kulmer.
She has had a number of one-person shows and group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad. Alongside her professional involvement in art, she conducts practical research within the field of visual expressiveness and creativity of children. She is the author of a number of multimedia art projects for children and adults and now co-operates with museums and galleries by organising and managing arts projects for children.
She has written and illustrated 7 original picture books for children and has recevied a number of awards and prizes for her work.
She is a member of the Croatian Artists Society and the Croatian Association of Independent Artists.
She lives and works in Zagreb.

Manuela Vladić – Maštruko
Gorenščak 19
10 000 Zagreb
Croatia
Tel: +385 / 1 / 3737 364
Mob: +385 / 91 / 586 37 86
e-mail: manuela.vladic-mastruko(at)zg.t-com.hr
www.manuela-vladic.com

The Winner of the Award SHEEP IN A BOX 2005.

The Adventures of Otto the Spider by Manuela Vladić Maštruko

After Otto the Spider learned all of the things he met with in the first book (Otto the Spider), which was the importance of art, music, playfulness in our lives, he goes on to further adventures.
In this children’s picture book for which Manuela Vladić Maštruko wrote the text and did the illustrations, appear hand made nets, which are crocheted by her beloved aunt Đurđa Dolovčak with her own hands and needles. Those applications were glued to the illustrations and finally scanned and processed into the computer and prepared for printing. The applications of craft in composition along with the painted backgrounds stress the value of handcraft and creative work in general.
It is also important to know that these skills learned helped Otto to change himself, and then he was even able to help others.

© Manuela Vladić Maštruko

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Ivana Guljašević

Ivana Guljašević gratuated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. She has illustrated many picture books for children. Her illustrations have also been published in children's magazines. She also draws comics and animated films. She is author and director of an animated film Like a Miracle. She is the winner of several awards for comic books and animated film. And she won the prize Sheep in a Box for her picture book How Crocodile Marko Found his Home which she wrote and illustrated. She also illustrated about twelve picture books and a number of books for children, among them are Fairy Tales by Andersen, Perrault and Grimm Brothers. She is a permanent contributor to children´s magazines.

Ivana Guljašević
Jazbinski gaj 4
10000 Zagreb
tel. + 385 /1 / 2300 577
gsm +385/91/ 520 12 99
e-mail: ivana.guljasevi(at)zg.t-com.hr

Winner of the Award SHEEP IN A BOX 2005.

How Crocodile Marko Found his Home by Ivana Guljašević

In muddy waters of the pond hidden by trees, grass and reeds lived crocodile Marko. He was peaceful and happy until one day a little bird flew on a branch just above his nose.- I don't know how you can live here! Of all nice places you had to choose THIS! Dreadful!- she cried and flew off. Crocodile Marko was taken aback and then he thought a little and made a decision:»I'll find myself a new home. I don't have to live in the worst place in the world!»
The camel recommended the desert, but it was too hot. The eagle praised the high rocky ridge, but it made him dizzy. The bat took him to its cave, but it was too dark for him. He thanked the whale for the effort, but no, the depths of the sea were no home for him and neither was the South Pole where the penguin took him.
One early morning he saw the most perfect place in the world. It was a muddy and dull pond hidden by trees, grass and reeds. Then he realised that he had come back to his own home!

© Školska knjiga, Zagreb

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Marsela Hajdinjak Kreč

Marsela Hajdinjak Kreč was born in 1967 in Zagreb. She received her education at the School of Applied Arts and Design and at the College for Textile and Fabric Design at the Faculty of Textile and Technology in Zagreb.
She has been a professional illustrator since 1996 and now illustrates picture books and school textbooks, as well as working on children's magazines. She has also produced comic strips for children and has created characters and the scenography for animated films. She is a member of the Association of Artists in Applied Arts and the Croatian Association of Independent Artists.
She received the «Grigor Vitez» Award in 2005 for her book illustrations for the book Vodenjak i Stara Kruška (Water Sprite and the Old Pear Tree) by Želimir Hercigonja.
She lives and works in Zagreb.

contact:
Marsela Hajdinjak Kreč
D. Cesarića 61
10000 ZAGREB
Croatia
phone +385 1 3817 359
gsm + 385 91 7551 441
email: marsela(at)email.t-com.hr

Winner of the Award GRIGOR VITEZ 2005. for Illustrations

Water Sprite and the Old Pear Tree - text by Želimir Hercigonja, illustrations by Marsela Hajdinjak Kreč

(fragment)

Oh yes, you could almost appease your hunger by that water, it was that good! And only through the merit of worthy water sprites. Every pebble in the well was in the right place, every speck of dust brought by the wind was speedily removed!
Not only dust but all sorts of things fell into the well: grains of pollen, snow white petals of blooming fruit trees, girls’ hairpins, golden coins thrown in the water by lovesick young noblemen… Ripe fruit from the pear and apricot tree also fell into the well, and the well’s water sprite enjoyed them till late in the autumn. And everything was just fine until the year when the pear tree bore no good fruit…

© text Želimir Hercigonja
© illustrations Marsela Hajdinjak Kreč

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Zvonko Todorovski

Zvonko Todorovski was born in 1960. His comic strips have been exhibited at a dozen one-man exhibitions. From 1991 to 1997 he was curator and art manager at the Forum mladih Gallery in Varaždin, which exhibits the works of young, talented artists from all over Croatia.
He became a professional writer in 1999 and is a member of the Croatian Association of Writers and the Croatian Association of Independent Artists.
He lives and works in Zagreb and Stari Grad on the island of Hvar.
His first novel for children and adolescents is Mirakul od mora (Miracle of the Sea). His second novel, Prozor zelenog bljeska (Window of the Green Flare), received the Grigor Vitez Award and the Sfera Award for best SF novel for children. In the same year, Prozor zelenog bljeska was nominated for the Little Prince International Award in Tuzla, Bosnia and Hercegowina. His third novel, Mrlja (Oil Slick) received the Mato Lovrak Award for best children's novel.
All his books have been equipped with illustrations or are illustrated by Magda Dulčić.

Zvonko Todorovski
Gundulićeva 18,
10 000 Zagreb
Croatia
Tel.: + 385 1 48 30 356
Mob.: + 385 91 540 34 78
Email: zvonko.todorovski(at)zg.htnet.hr

Winner of the Award MATO LOVRAK 2005

Oil Slick (A Novel for Children and Seagulls) - text by Zvonko Todorovski, illustrations by Magda Dulčić

A group of criminals has managed to gain access to a deadly computer virus that not only destroys software programmes, but the entire computer. At the same time, Jakša is spending his summer holidays at his grandfather Jakša's place in Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. His grandfather, Tonkica, who is a girl and his friend, and he have a series of adventures in their attempts to prevent the criminals from fulfilling their wicked intentions. A flock of Hvar seagulls, great friends of grandfather Jakša the fisherman, are mixed up in the whole adventure.

Suddenly they saw a boat. None of them were sure of where it had come from, but it was here now, below them, and the narrow white furrow in its wake was a sign that he was alive and sailing.

© for text Zvonko Todorovski
© for illustrations Magda Dulčić

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Darko Macan

Darko Macan was born in 1966 in Zagreb, Croatia, where he is still living. He sold his first SF story in 1986 and the first comic in 1988. A writing/drawing gig on "Tom & Jerry" followed and then he began selling scripts to an agency headed by Igor Kordey in 1989. Some of that early stuff, drawn by Edvin Biukovic and collected in the book called "Citati" ("Quotations"), landed Edvin and him a warmly-accepted Grendel Tales assignment in 1994 (nominated for the Eisner award. Darko went on to write Tarzan, Star Wars (4 trades out there), Donald Duck, Hellblazer, Mickey Mouse, Sandman Presents: The Corinthian, Captain America, Soldier X and more. He continued drawing his own comics (Borovnica, Bočko) while writing a number of others (most notably Svebor and Ember, Mr. Meow, La Bete Noire and Martina Mjesec series). He is the author of four novels - two of which, Knjige lažu! (Books Lie!) and Žuta minuta (Yellow Fever), won the Croatian national award for younger readers while the other two, Pavo protiv Pave (Paul vs. Paul) i Koža boje masline (Olive Skin), won two national SF awards. He is the editor of the quarterly Q STRIP magazine, has two successful weblogs and he wrote this bio, because nobody else would.

Darko Macan
Dubovačka 10
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
tel + 385 1 36 97 961
gsm + 385 98 358 184
email: darko.macan(at)zg.t-com.hr

Winner of the Award GRIGOR VITEZ 2005 for text

Yellow Fever by Darko Macan

(a fragment)

YELLOW FEVER
(a fragment)

What's rock'n'roll, if not the truth?
How to write about rock, if not from the heart?
The way rock is played.
Jack felt he had the right idea. A rock critic shouldn't be someone outside the rock scene itself. Neither the enemy, nor someone standing in the corner with his arms folded, dissecting the show in search for the fatal mistake. The critic is a part of the fight, the harbinger of good news, a missionary amidst the great unwashed. If rock is the truth, the reviews of rock should be nothing less!
"Rock is the truth", wrote Jack. "Rock is more than the music and words combined, rock is ..."
Jack stopped. What else could he write, now that "rock is the truth" idea has been spent. Rock is ... joy? No, Jack hasn't been listening to rock in order to rest, but to find the echo of his own unrest. What is rock? A revolt? That sounded worn-out; like a cliche, it was. His fingertips floated over the keyboard, then attacked it as if they had the will of their own.
"Rock is the voice."
Jack nodded sharply. This was short. Clear. To the point. This was good. His fingertips itched: the next sentence wanted to clear the gate.
"Rock is the voice of discontent, the voice of the betrayed, the voice of hope. Rock is not just the music, rock is the call to change the world for the better."
It was a bit melodramatical, yet Jack was pleased. He felt like a mad prophet in the park, preaching secret wisdom to stray cats and diseased pigeons from off an orange crate. He felt ready to die for the cause. He'd never felt better.

© Darko Macan

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Zoran Pongrašić

Zoran Pongrašić was born in 1961 and is known to the Croatian readers as the author of very successful novels for the young It’s all Mum’s Fault (awarded by “Grigor Vitez” prize for the best book for children in 1999), Gumi-gumi , 41,5°C and Just look at the monkey!.
He also wrote several books of short stories, radio-plays and texts for theatre.
His novel Gumi-gumi was translated and published in France (Rouergue).
Zoran Pongrašić goes to the Bologna Children Book Fair 2006 as the special guest sent by Croatian Writers Society:
h,d,p, www.hdpisaca.org

mailto: zoran.pongrasic(at)zg.t-com.hr

Just Look at the Monkey!

After fourteen years in Kenya, Zvonimir and his parents come back to the «white city of Zagreb». And everything would be just fine if Zvonimir were not – a black boy.
Zoran Pongrašić, in a humorous way, for the first time in Croatia writes about inter-racial relationships in a middle-European city.