A little extra light for Split Library.
World leaders and the United Nations General Assembly declared that this year will be the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies. Croatia and Split in particular are also taking part in the celebrations, so libraries around Croatia organize numerous lectures and events connected with light, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on October 24, 2015.
“Turn on the light and read!” – that was the title of a reading project taking place at the Marko Marulić City Library, where many known and unknown citizens of Split and their guests were invited under the motto “You are what you read”. They had a chance to read aloud a few words, a few verses, texts which touched, delighted, sadden or changed them. People were reading selected poems and passages from their favourite books and stories lit only by the light from a little desk lamp.
The darkness was first broken by Renato Baretić, who read the poem “They Prepared Everything for You” by Ivan Slamnig. He told the packed auditorium in the great library hall that he really is what he has read in his life. Young and talented actor from the Croatian National Theatre in Split Maro Nejašmić Banić inspired the listeners with verses written by recently departed Arsen Dedić.
“As a proper otolaryngologist, I came to read to you with a hoarse voice”, dr. Željka Roje said to laughing crowd. She read a passage from a Harry Potter book. “This passage has truly made changes in my life. After 40 years, I have realized that there are people, a sort of ‘dementors’, who constantly draw good energy out of you, leaving you broken. When I turned my back to them, the change happened”, the doctor said.
Tonka Alujević shared with everyone an excerpt from an interview which Nikola Tesla gave a hundred years ago. Tonka shone just like Tesla’s words and his wisdom, together with his ingenious inventions.
“I read a passage from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, simply because I always keep coming back to that book. I read it in my youth, I read it now as a parent, and these are two completely different universes”, Herci Ganza Čaljkušić explained.
Ingrid Poljanić put a lot of effort into animating the crowd and bringing together the readers. The evening was crowned by Blanka Vlašić, who put out the lamp. In the dark, she recited a Psalm which taught her that, in addition to love of parents, siblings, friends, partners, there is also a divine love, larger than the world.
