Olja Savičević Ivančević
Olja Savičević Ivančević (Split, 1974) is one of the best Croatian contemporary authors and a representative of the so called ‘lost generation’. She graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science in Zadar. Her first poetry collection was published when she was 14 years old, and since then, she published twelve works: six poetry collections, a short story collection, two novels and three picture books.
Politically and socially engaged, Olja’s work has been included in a number of Croatian anthologies and international selections. Her writing has been translated into 11 languages, with excerpts of her prose and poetry translated and published into over 30 languages world-wide. For her works, Olja received a number of coveted national, regional and international awards. In 2020, her novel Farewell, Cowboy was awarded the French award Prix du premiere for the best debut novel translated in French. Farewell, Cowboy was wonderfully received by readers as well: a great success in the region, the book was adapted into a stage play.
Her second novel, Singer in the Night, received the British Pen Award. Her short stories collection To Make a Dog Laugh won the prize for best author under thirty-five awarded jointly by Vijenac. The poetry collection Mamasafari and Other Things was short-listed for the ‘Kiklop Award for Best Collection of 2012’, awarded annually by the Pula Book Fair.
Reviews of Olja’s works have been published in the following newspapers and magazines: The Guardian, Le Monde Diplomatique, Berliner Zeitung, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, La Republic, The Independent, The Irish Times, Corriere della Serra, The Atlantic, The Publisher Weekly, De Volkskrant, Jelenkor.
Olja Savičević Ivančević: Pretty hunger