Five Reasons I’ve Started Reading Croatian Novels

A few days ago, I finished reading my first Croatian novel.

Insert applause here. Thanks.

Zoran Pilić

The novel: Pavelova Prava Ljubav (Pavel’s Real Love) by Zoran Pilić.

This isn’t a book review. If you like Croatian novels, I am not your person…yet.

Can I read Croatian?

-Yes.

Is it enough to get by?

-Sure. I could stay in Croatia for the rest of my life and be fine.

So then, why read a Croatian novel?

-No one is asking, but I will tell you anyway.

Here are Five Reasons I’ve Started Reading Croatian Novels:

1. Reading brings me joy. Always has.

2. I like good storytelling. And I like it in the form of a novel. When I read, I get to direct the scene and use my imagination. I’m no Steven Speilberg. But that’s exactly my point; I get to direct using my imagination just as he gets to direct using his.

3. I am interested in reading stories written by Croatian authors. Nice work, Zoran! - there, that’s my review.

4. I want to expand my Croatian vocabulary. And thanks to this novel, I’ve added the Croatian words for shriveled corpse (smežurani leš) and fait accompli (svršen čin), among others.

   You might be wondering (probably not): when will I use those specific words? Maybe my next blog post. Why not?

5. I’d rather spend one hour reading a novel than five minutes reading something on a screen—my eyes!

And there you have it.

You didn’t ask. But those are the reasons I’ve decided to read Croatian novels.

Now that I’ve read my first novel, it’s time to bite into another one.

If you have any personal recommendations, please share them. My eyes and my mind, thank you!

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