Ivana Šojat (born 26 February 1971) is a Croatian writer from

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

. She published

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

and

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s, the most famous of which is ''Unterstadt''. Upon its release, it won several prestigious literary awards, and was adapted and put onstage as a theatrical play.

Biography

Šojat graduated from high school in Osijek with a major in journalism, studied math and physics at Pedagogy Academy in Osijek, and French in Belgium. She worked as a translator, foreign correspondent, columnist, and as an editor of theatrical releases in

Croatian National Theatre in Osijek The Croatian National Theatre ( hr, Hrvatsko narodno kazalište u Osijeku) is a theatre building in Osijek, capital of the Croatian region of Slavonia. Opened in 1866, and the building was expanded and fully completed in 1907 according to the p ...

. Most recently, she won the nomination of the

Croatian Democratic Union The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Croa ...

(HDZ) to run for mayor of

in the 2017 local elections.Šojat news
''Večernji list''; accessed 2 May 2017.Šojat, news
Glas-Slavonije.hr; accessed 2 May 2017. For her contribution to Croatian literature, she earned distinctive honors and awards. She fought in the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...

.Šojat biodata
, underpass.co; accessed 2 May 2017.Šojat biodata
dhk.hr; accessed 2 May 2017.

Writing

Šojat's published works include

s, and

. Two of her novels have been translated into Macedonian.''Ničiji sinovi'' 'Nobody's Sons''translated into Macedonian by Ermis Lafanazovski ''Unterstadt'' 'Lower Town''translated into Macedonian by Aleksandar Prokopiev; As a

literary translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

, Šojat translated many books from English and French into Croatian. In her works, she often examines the less palatable aspects of human nature including concealed truth, domestic violence, rape, divorce, postwar resentment, ethnic cleansing, etc. In her view,

"What is kept unsaid, swallowed, undigested in a human being, individual, but also in the ethnic, racial, religious and other groups, grows to some sort of a critical mass when the trauma cannot stay confined inside. Then we have shocking news like suicides of the veterans, murders, everything up to wars, massacres, aggression."Interview with Srđan Sandić, Artist
(2013); accessed 14 May 2017.

In her novel ''Unterstadt ower Town' Šojat traces the struggle of a family from a minority group during times of socio-political upheaval. She builds the plot on historical records regarding a troubled

Volksdeutsche In Nazi German terminology, ''Volksdeutsche'' () were "people whose language and culture had German origins but who did not hold German citizenship". The term is the nominalised plural of '' volksdeutsch'', with ''Volksdeutsche'' denoting a sin ...

family living in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

for four generations.Review of ''Unterstadt'', by Strahimir Primorac in Vijenac MH 438/2010
accessed 2 May 2017.Review of ''Unterstadt'', by Boris Postnikov, Booksa.hr
2010; accessed 4 May 2017. The story has characteristics of realistic

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, although sources describe it as a

bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood ( coming of age), in which character change is impo ...

as well as a

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

novel.Review of ''Unterstadt'', by Helena Sablić Tomić in ''Moderna vremena'' 2010
accessed 2 May 2017.Ivana Šojat, books Fraktura (publisher)
accessed 4 May 2017.
The novel ''Ničiji sinovi obody's Sons' is a story about the disintegration of a family caused by war and alcoholism. The story sheds light on a couple whose marriage falls apart.Article, by Strahimir Primorac in Vijenac MH 499/2013
accessed 4 May 2017.Article by Jagna Pogačnik
in '' Jutarnji list'', 2014; accessed 4 May 2017. The novel '' Jom Kipur'' tells the story of a warrior with

posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

(PTSD). The plot, like in the novel '' Šamšiel hamsiel', intertwines the themes of love and hatred with the horrors of wars and post-war reconciliation.Review by Marinko Krmpotić
in '' Novi list'', 2015; accessed 4 May 2017.Review by Vladimir Arsenić, Booksa.hr
accessed 4 May 2017.
In ''Ruke

Azazel In the Bible, the name Azazel (; he, עֲזָאזֵל ''ʿAzāʾzēl''; ar, عزازيل, ʿAzāzīl) appears in association with the scapegoat rite; the name represents a desolate place where a scapegoat bearing the sins of the Jews during Y ...

ove zazel's Hands' and in the collection of the short stories ''Emet'', Šojat examines the "inner person" in more depth by employing

stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver (physician), Daniel Ol ...

, interior

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

s and flashback narrative to highlight the characters' psychological conflicts exposed through the process of purifying emotions in order to reconcile with the past.Review by Jagna Pogačnik in Jutarnji list, 2012
accessed 4 May 2017.Review by Đorđe Krajišnik
in Oslobođenje, 2016; accessed 4 May 2017. The protagonists in Šojat’s stories are highly engaged in the dramatic process of

catharsis Catharsis (from Greek , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing" or "clarification") is the purification and purgation of emotions through dramatic art, or it may be any extreme emotional state that results in renewal and restoration. In its lite ...

.Review of ''Unterstradt'' onstage by Mia Mitrović
Express.hr; accessed 4 May 2017. ''Unterstadt ower Town' was adapted and put onstage in

, and won a prestigious award as the best play in 2012.''Unterstadt'' onstage
hnk-osijek.hr; accessed 4 May 2017.''Unterstadt'' award
vecernji.hr; accessed 4 May 2017. ZKM Theatre (Zagreb) in co-production with

Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb The Academy of Dramatic Art ( hr, Akademija dramske umjetnosti or ADU) is a Croatian drama school. Since its inception in 1896, the institution grew in prominence resulting in its successful affiliation with the University of Zagreb in 1979, along ...

adapted selective scenes from ''Unterstadt ower Town' and presented them on stage as a play entitled ''Elza hoda kroz zidove'' 'Elza walks through the walls' in 2015.''Elza'' premiere
hrt.hr; accessed 4 May 2017.''Elza'' onstage
zekaem.hr; accessed 4 May 2017.

Honors

* Red Danice hrvatske s likom Marka Marulića rder of Danica Hrvatska with Face of Marko Marulić medal of the President of the Republic of Croatia for promoting Croatian culture domestically and abroad, 2016Danica hrvatska medal, ''Glas Slavonije'', 2016, accessed on April 30, 2017
/ref> Danica hrvatska medal, ''Poslovni portal'', 2016, accessed on April 30, 2017
/ref> * Pečat Grada

a tamp of the City of Osijek a public recognition for exceptional contribution to literature, 2011

Awards

Ksaver Šandor Gjalski Ksaver Šandor Gjalski (26 October 1854 – 6 February 1935) was a Croatian writer and civil servant. He was born Ljubomil Babić at Gredice, near Klanjec in Hrvatsko Zagorje into a minor aristocratic family. He finished high school in Varaž ...

, 2010, novel ''Unterstadt'' ower Townref name=Gjalski2010> * Fran Galović, 2010, novel ''Unterstadt''Literary award Fran Galović, 2010
/ref> *

Josip Josip () is a male given name found among Croats and Slovenes, a cognate of Joseph. In Croatia, the name Josip was the second most common masculine given name in the decades up to 1959, and has stayed among the top ten most common ones throughout 2 ...

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic languages, Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John (given name), John) from Hebrew language, Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. T ...

Kozarac, 2010, novel ''Unterstadt'' *

Vladimir Nazor Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidium of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first Sp ...

, 2009, novel ''Unterstadt''Literary award Vladimir Nazor, 2009, accessed on April 30, 2017
/ref> * Blaženi

Ivan Merz Ivan Merz (16 December 1896 – 10 May 1928) was a Croatian lay academic, beatified by Pope John Paul II on a visit at Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 22, 2003. Ivan Merz promoted the liturgical movement in Croatia and together wi ...

, 2005, poetry ''Utvare'' pparitionsref name=Merz2005> * Kozarčevi dani ozarac Days 2002, novel ''Šamšiel'' hamsielref name=Kozarcevi2002>

Bibliography

* Novel ''Ezan'', Fraktura Zagreb, 2018, * Poetry ''Ljudi ne znaju šutjeti eople Don't Know to Keep Silent', Fraktura Zagreb, 2016, * Short stories ''Emet i druge priče met and Other Stories', Fraktura Zagreb, 2016, * Novel ''Jom Kipur om Kippur', Fraktura Zagreb, 2014, * Novel ''Ničiji sinovi obody's Sons', Fraktura Zagreb, 2012, * Novellas ''Ruke Azazelove zazel's Hands', Fraktura Zagreb, 2011, * Novel ''Unterstadt ower Town', Fraktura Zagreb, 2009 * Novellas ''Mjesečari leepwalkers', Fraktura Zagreb, 2008, * Poetry ''Sofija plaštevima mete samoću ofija Sweeps Loneliness With Cloaks', V.B.Z. Zagreb, 2008, * Essays ''I past će sve maske nd All Masks Will Drop', Alfa Zagreb, 2006, * Short stories ''Kao pas ike a Dog', DHK Rijeka, 2006, * Poetry ''Utvare pparitions', Solidarnost Zagreb, 2005, * Poetry ''Uznesenja scensions', Triler i DHK Rijeka, 2003, * Novel ''Šamšiel hamsiel', Matica hrvatska Osijek, 2002, * Poetry ''Hiperbole yperboles', Hrašće Drenovci, 2000,

Sources

External links

Ivana Šojat, author's website, accessed May 4, 2017

Ivana Šojat, author's profile and books at Fraktura, accessed May 4, 2017

Ivana Šojat author's profile at goodreads.com, accessed May 4, 2017

Review Unterstadt, by Helena Sablić Tomić, Moderna vremena, 2010, accessed May 4, 2017

Article in Večernji list, 2012, accessed May 4, 2017

Article by Strahimir Primorac in Vijenac MH 438/2010

Article by Andrija Tunjić in Vijenac MH 490/2012

News vijesti.hrt Unterstadt, play award, accessed May 4, 2017

News radio.hrt Šojat running for Osijek mayor's seat in election 2017, accessed May 5, 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Šojat, Ivana 1971 births Living people People from Osijek Croatian women short story writers Croatian short story writers Croatian novelists Croatian women poets 21st-century Croatian poets 21st-century Croatian women writers