October 24, 2020 – TCN meets Jasmina Knezovic, author of A Sensible Guide to Split and its Islands.
Imagine if, the next time you travel to the Dalmatian coast, you had an extremely passionate and knowledgeable friend giving you a tour. Someone who knows not only which part of Diocletian’s 3rd-century palace you’re passing through when walking to the old city of Split, but also where to buy the best fig cake on the island of Vis and how the word “carat” is related to a certain, odd-looking tree on the island – and many, many other things.
This book is that friend.
In it, Jasmina Knezovic has combined her lifelong passion for the region with her training as an Oxford Ph.D. and food and travel editor to make a cultural guidebook that unlocks the secrets of one of the longest-settled regions in Europe.
As a Croatian-American, Jasmina has spent every summer in Dalmatia since 1995. While writing her Ph.D. in Croatian history at the University of Oxford, she researched Split and discovered a wealth of stories illustrating the city’s rich history. As a freelance writer (VICE, Suitcase, Contemporary Food Lab), she focused on her main passion: travel. This book is a culmination of historical knowledge and passion for travel. It values authenticity, tradition, the contemporary, and identity.
The book includes:
- Highly curated practical tips (the best places to eat, stay and shop) for Split, Hvar, Vis and Brač
- An Almanac section: gems from the archives, from literature and travel writing spanning centuries, as well as insightful and entertaining historical documents, lists, and tables (including, quite handily, the officially recommended fitness levels for each demographic issued by the Yugoslav government)
- an overview of notable visitors and residents
- 16 interviews with a wide range of locals (including a songwriter, a stonemason, a filmmaker, and a fisherman)
- 3 essays from local writers
- Useful & beautiful maps, including a detailed schema of how the modern city fits into Diocletian’s ancient palace
- 20+ beautiful illustrations by a respected local artist
TCN met up with Jasmina to learn more.
“I wrote a historical and cultural guide to Split and its islands. But I also include a list of my favorite things to eat and see, a streamlined one.
I didn’t just want to write about restaurants and cafes, though – I wanted to impart some of the fascinating culture and history of the Dalmatian coast as well.
So this guide book will also tell you how the word “carat” is related to the carob tree, what Sigmund Freud said when he visited Split in 1898, how polenta actually made a lot of people in Dalmatia sick, and how a plant bug triggered one of the biggest waves of emigration Croatian emigration to the United States. Just lots of cool and interesting stuff.
One of my favorite parts of the book is the interview section – I interviewed 16 locals who gave me insights into their lives and professions. So readers get to know some of the best bunch of locals out there.
The essay section is another special part. It provides reading material during one’s travels or even before or after.
There are no photos, but it is illustrated by the talented Luka Duplančić from Split, who I discovered while having coffee at D16.”
What inspired Jasmina to create this guidebook?
“People always ask me for tips, and I started finding myself planning strangers’ trips for friends of friends. After spending autumn in Split and Dalmatia and seeing a different, more multi-faceted, side of the city, I wanted to share it with people, so I decided to write a book.
The whole project is my own labour of love: As a travel writer, I saw first-hand how superficial the content world can sometimes be in terms of quantity surpassing quality, and how many bloggers and portals write about something even if they haven’t personally tried or verified it. I had already dug deeper and wanted to share that with people. My suggestions are genuine; nothing is sponsored.
Toni Morisson once said ‘I wrote my first novel because I wanted to read it”, and the same can be said for this book.'”
How did Jasmina go about choosing who she interviewed?
“I had an idea of different categories of people I thought would be interesting to include – such as an athlete, a winemaker, a musician, fisherman, archeologist, and so on. From each category, I chose people who represent the field. Sometimes, after talking to one person, they would put me in touch with another, so it became like a treasure trail of interesting people.
I got to talk to musicians such as Neno Belan, whose early music represents quintessential 80s Split, and Saša Antić, who writes very relevant and poignant lyrics for TBF today. I also talked to the Olympic sailor Filip Jurišić, who gave me a glimpse into the world of competitive sailing, the film director Marcella Zanki who had her first big break with Gibonni’s music videos, and Oliver Roki, the winemaker and cricket promoter on Vis, as well as stonemasons, bakers, fishers, and even a picigin player. I was most embarrassed when I interrupted a picigin game at Bačvice beach to talk to a player out of the blue, but they were good sports about it.”
What does Jasmina think readers will find most unique and useful about the guidebook?
“The interview, essay, and almanac sections are the most unique for helping readers get under the city’s skin. The essentials and food recommendations are helpful since I share where to have the best gelato in addition to the best Komiška pogaca. In the activities section, I break down the process of getting a boat license, which my husband and I finally did this summer. So it’s an enriching book.
We want this book to be both a useful companion and a beautiful object that you’ll want to keep long after you’ve returned home. Designed by Palermo-based Ciao Ciao Studio, A Sensible Guide to Split & its Islands is an object made to last.”
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help Jasmina launch this project, which you can read more about HERE.
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