I just got back from a spectacular week at the Festival of the European Short Story in Croatia. A whole week of literary mayhem. So much fun. Here’s my report, in photo captions:
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- I read some of Hassan Blasim’s new story collection ‘The Iraqi Christ’ on the flight to Croatia, and so arrive in a state of emotional distress.
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- Hotel Central in Zagreb, home for the next few days for me and 19 other writers from all over Europe.
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- Within an hour of landing, we are at the festival opening party. Festival organiser Roman Simic welcomes everyone, calling out each of our names in turn to great applause. We raise our hands above our heads and feel like celebrities. Three Croatian writers barbecue a huge amount of meat for us all.
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- We head to the first reading event of the festival at Booksa – a book-club-cum-cafe.
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- There’s a huge audience, standing room only with people leaning into the doorway to hear. The best seats in the house are on this spiral staircase.
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- On the wall of Booksa are specially commissioned illustrations for each of the authors, based on one of the stories we’ll read at the festival. Here’s my one for Fewer Things. Later, we will be given them to take home.
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- On the first full day in Zagreb I’ve got time to explore. This is the main square. I can get lost anywhere, but in Croatia, whenever you get lost, someone from the festival – usually the super-organised festival co-ordinator Jelena Spreicer, magically appears to help out. It’s true.
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- Strawberries everywhere in Zabreb.
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- Super volunteer Anja takes graphic novelist Karrie Fransman and me to Booksa to be interviewed for the morning TV show ‘Good morning Croatia’.
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- I think this is my first ever TV interview. The interviewer, Danijela, happens to be a writer too, and is lovely, so it’s a breeze.
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- At lunch, I send Croatian writer Senko Karuza to sleep. He lives on an island off Croatia, and is, I suspect, the offspring of old Ernest Hemmingway and Captain Nemo.
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- After lunch, people gather for a demonstration in the park – Croatia is just about to join the EU, and there’s a proposal to change the constitution before then to make marriage specifically a union between a man and a woman (ie excluding gay couples). Lots of young Croatians are here, and rightly angry about it.
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- My first event, with the brilliant Rachel Trezise.
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- Jim Hinks from my publisher Comma Press and I share a post gig beer. Later in the week we will end up sharing a room for two nights and wearing ear plugs to insulate ourselves from each other’s nocturnal noises.
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- On day 2 in Zabreb, I head out to the Museum of Contemporary Art. It is filled with so much disturbing, highly political, often harrowing, Croatian art. By the time I get to the top floor I can’t take any more…
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- …so it’s a massive relief to find Carsten Holler’s slides. The joy of descending to ground level in these re-balances my mood.
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- Next stop, a Picasso exhibition, which includes loads of photos Picasso took of himself – some of these selfies are hilarious (standing with hands on hips in white shorts, socks and smart shoes, bare chested). I can imagine what Picasso’s Facebook stream would be like.
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- The guest country at this year’s FESS is Wales. The Welsh contingent – Jon Gower, Rachel Trezise, Owen Martell and Deborah Kay Davies dispel myths about Wales and talk about the enduring legacy of Maggie Thatcher.
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- On Day 3, we all travel an hour to the small town of Varazdin. We’ll spend two nights here. We begin with a tour…
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- …with regular pit stops for coffee and beer. The coffee in Croatia is great, everywhere you go. I drink about 70 cups this week, not one a dud.
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- Owen Martell and Jon Gower are such a great double-act – on the last night in Varazdin, they will perform a dance routine that none of us will ever forget.
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- We prepare to meet the mayor of Varazdin. Yes, the mayor. There are TV cameras here too.
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- Last stop on the tour, Varazdin castle. Did you know Varazdin used to be the Croatian capital, before the government moved following a big fire that destroyed the city in 1776? Well I did, because I paid attention to the guide the whole time.
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- Another long, boozy lunch. Shortly after this photo is taken, an old organ grinder in a top hat and tails wheels his organ into the restaurant and serenades our munching. It is the most surreal thing to happen today.
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- Roman Simic, king of the festival, story writer, and outstanding host.
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- The Varazdin events are in the local theatre. Afterwards, in the small, smoky bar there, we drink and chat and spill pizza sauce on our laps.
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- At another castle, Owen demonstrates how to make a ‘duck fart’, using a coin and a deep well.
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- The volunteers are disappointed that it’s raining. They had planned a sunny meadow picnic, but we get to be silly with umbrellas instead, which is still fun.
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- Karla, Karla and Martina, who produce, market and photograph the festival, and who scare me with their enthusiasm for karaoke.
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- The wonderful translator, Zeljka – who helps me keep up with conversations when they switch to Croatian, and who shares my love of 90s grunge music.
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- The fabulous Ela (red shoes) takes us on her tour of places people lose their virginity in Varazdin.
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- Ela shows us the mountaineer’s grave – he collected a rock from every mountain he climbed, and when he died, his wife had all those rocks mounted on his headstone.
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- The last stop in Ela’s tour – an angel garden in the narrow gap between two buildings.
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- Senko Karuza tells a long anecdote that has the whole audience in hysterics – eyes watering, slapping their legs, wetting their pants. But I can’t understand a word of it because it’s in Croatian. It’s the oddest experience. Later, four people will try to translate it for me, but it’s not the same.
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- Back in Zabreb for the final night. Jim Hinks and I splash out on a great final meal, washed down with more beer and biska – a vicious local liquor.
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- Hassan Blasim and Keith Ridgway – fellow FESS survivors.
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- How happy do Mary Costello and I look?
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- After the last reading event of the festival, a gypsy-rock band perform, after spending a long time warming up in the toilets.
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- I’m up late drinking in the fog of the venue’s smoking room with volunteer Katarina and her friend Dora – we talk Led Zeppelin and linguistics, and they teach me all the best Croatian swear words. At 3am I bail out, but they’re still going strong.
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- I have to get up at 5am to make my flight. This is what a week at the Festival of the European Short Story will do to your face.
Thank you so much to Roman, Jelena, Kate, Tomislav, Zeljka, Snjezana, Gordana, Andrea, Karla, Karla, Denis, Martina, David, Katarina, Ela, Anja and everyone else at the festival who made it such a memorable week. Invite me back someday. I miss you guys.
And thanks to all the short story writers, FESS class of 2013, who were such great company: Hassan Blasim, Philippe Claudel, Mary Costello, Paolo Giordano, Rawe Hage, Damir Karakas, Filip David, Deborah Kay Davies, Ildiko Lovas, Jon Gower, Owen Martell, Josip Novakovich, Alek Popov, Edo Popvic, Denis Pericic, Keith Ridgway, David Roas, Ivana Simic Bodrozic, Rachel Trezise and Karrie Fransman.
This looks fab Adam. I feel like I was there with you. Thanks so much for sharing. Hope to see you soon.
Cheers Paul – you too. I hope to be at the next WordFactory.
What an adventure! Looks like you had an amazing time – thanks for sharing…
Ah, great stuff, Adam. It brings back memories of last year’s FESS to me. Very fond memories indeed. I am glad you had such a great time.
Thanks Nuala – I passed on your hellos to everyone.
How wonderful!
Great to see the short story being celebrated with such verve. Looks like a great time was had by all.
Celebrate we did, Dan 🙂
I’m glad that you spent some great time in my country. Hope that you will one day come to my city too.
What city do you live in Alen?
How fab! Have always been curious about this festival as it’s a hop-skip-jump away from where we are in northern Italy. ciao cat