Marija Jurić Zagorka was the first professional journalist and is still the most widely read Croatian writer and a household name in Croatia. She was born on March 2 1873 in the village of Negovec near Vrbovec. Unfortunately, none of her works have been translated into English, but 11 of her novels in Croatian can be found at the US Library of Congress.
Zagorka founded and was the editor of Ženski list, the first Croatian magazine for women, and Hrvatica. She fought against social discrimination, Hungarization and Germanization in Croatia and she was a fighter for women’s rights. She was supported in her writing and journalist work by bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who encouraged her to write novels. Her novels contain interesting love stories, intertwined with mysterious legends and elements of national history. Some of her novels were turned into plays and movies, and filming of one of her most famous novels, Griška vještica (the Witch of Grič), will start soon. The project is collaboration between Jadran Film and Fremantle, a London-based production company (one of the world’s largest distribution company, present in over 50 countries worldwide).
On the occasion of the anniversary of her birth, events related to Marija Jurić Zagorka will be held at a number of places.
On the writer’s birthday on Thursday, the Centre for Women’s Studies will open her Memorial apartment at Dolac 9 to the public, with free guided tours, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, and on Sunday, March 5. A documentary film called Zagorka (by Biljana Čakić Veselić) will be screened at 2 p.m.
On Thursday, March 2, the Labor and Solidarity Party’s Women’s Forum and the City of Zagreb, will organize a Press Conference on the Status of Women in Croatian political life (from the time of Marija Jurić Zagorka to present day). The conference will be held next to the writer’s statue in Tkalčićeva Street at 11 a.m.To mark the 144th birth anniversary of the famous writer, journalist and feminist Marija Jurić Zagorka, the vice president of the Labor and Solidarity Party Jelena Pavičić Vukičević will talk about the position of women in Croatian politics, together with Prof. Dr. Sc. Ana Stavljenić Rukavina and Dr.Sc. Sandra Vračan.
“An Evening with Zagorka” book night will be held at the Milan Bandić Club (Praška ulica 5, Zagreb) at 7:30 p.m., and excerpts from Zagorka’s works will be read by Milana Vuković Runjić, Vesna Leiner and Marija Sekelez.
Source: Zagrebački kutak.
See the event and the program here.
