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GORDANA KOPAČEVIĆ: Marina condemned herself over one mistake
🇭🇷 Croatia /Culture & Society

GORDANA KOPAČEVIĆ: Marina condemned herself over one mistake

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Gordana Kopačević has released a new collection of short stories titled "Why Did Marina Cry?"
  • The book features true stories about the experiences of Croatian emigrants, focusing on themes of love, family, faith, loss, and resilience.
  • The title story centers on Marina, a young woman whose life is marked by a youthful mistake and subsequent societal judgment.

Gordana Kopačević's new collection of short stories, "Why Did Marina Cry?", offers a poignant exploration of the human condition, particularly for those navigating life between their homeland and emigration. The book, recently presented in Mainz, Germany, delves into the universal themes of love, family, faith, loss, and the enduring strength of individuals facing life's challenges.

Marina was a girl who, because of one mistake in her youth, thought she was marked and unclean. That feeling, precisely, marked her life.

— Gordana KopačevićKopačević summarizing the central theme of the title story.

The collection comprises true narratives drawn from the lives of ordinary people. Kopačević uses these everyday experiences to examine complex issues of belonging, identity, and the internal struggles that often remain hidden. The titular story, focusing on Marina, a young woman who seeks a better life in Germany, highlights her journey through love and disappointment, ultimately shaping her destiny.

She carried that cross her whole life, unable to forgive herself for what others perhaps never resented as much as she resented it herself.

— Gordana KopačevićKopačević explaining why Marina's story is the title of the book.

Through Marina's life, Kopačević addresses societal expectations, the impact of public judgment, loneliness, and the persistent burden of guilt. The author explained that Marina's story became the book's focus because her protagonist carried a lifelong weight of self-recrimination, unable to forgive herself for actions that perhaps others did not judge as harshly.

My task was not to change them, but to strengthen them.

— Ivo MijatovićMijatović describing his editorial approach to Kopačević's stories.

Literary critic Ivo Mijatović praised the collection in his preface, describing it as a "document of time and life" transformed into narratives. He emphasized his role as an editor was to preserve and strengthen Kopačević's authentic voice, noting that she writes "from the heart, but also from memory, from the collective and personal." This authenticity, Mijatović believes, will resonate deeply with readers, especially those who have experienced life as emigrants.

She writes from the heart, but also from memory, from the collective and personal.

— Ivo MijatovićMijatović on the authenticity and source of Kopačević's writing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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