Understanding Croatia before you leave

A bit of history

To understand Croatia, you first need to immerse yourself in the country's eventful history. With this in mind, here is a list of books that will give you some insights before visiting Croatia.

The following titles are factual, academic type works, not fiction or travel writing.

• Sotirovic, Vladislav. (2012). Creation of the first Yugoslavia: How the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was established in 1918. Germany. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
• Johnson, Lonnie. (1996). Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbours, Friends. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
• Ramet, Sabrina P. & Lukic, Reneo (Eds). (2008). Croatia since Independence: War, Politics, Society, Foreign Relations. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg.
• Supicic, Ivan. (2001). Croatia in the Early Middle Ages: A Cultural Survey. London: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd.
• Tanner, Marcus (2010). A Nation Forged in War. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

To whet your appetite before you depart, there are also some beautifully illustrated books and fascinating travel guides about Croatia.

• Cosic, Stjepan et al. (2009). Croatia: Aspects of Art, Architecture and Cultural Heritage. London: Frances Lincoln.
• McKelvie, Robin. (2014). Berlitz: Croatia Pocket Guide. London: Berlitz.
• Mutic, Anja & Dragicevich, Peter. (2011). Lonely Planet Croatia. London: Lonely Planet.

Literature

Croatia has produced a number of authors, novelists and poets through whose works it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of the country's culture and traditions. The following are some of the essential titles to get hold of.

• Andrić , Ivo. (1977). The Bridge on the Drina. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Selimović, Meša. (1970). The Fortress. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
• Selimović, Meša. (1996). Death and the Dervish. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.

©

Grant Bishop

Films

Croatia was used as a setting by a number of directors in the 20th century. An impressive number of films have been shot there, providing a fascinating glimpse of its towns, countryside and landscapes. Though not an exhaustive list, the following were all filmed in Croatia: Sophie's Choice (1982; scenes filmed at Samobor Castle); Game of Thrones (2012; filmed in Dubrovnik); Diana (2013; filmed in Rovinj); and Welcome to Sarajevo (1997; filmed in Zagreb).

To really get to know Croatia, however, you need to immerse yourself in the world of the country's own, home-produced directors, who bring the kind of experience and insights to their work that only native Croatians can provide. Croatia has a very active and highly-rated film industry. The following is a selection of films to watch before you depart.

• Story from Croatia, 1991. A drama centred on the Croatian Spring.
• The Priest's Children, 2013.
• What is a man without a moustache?, 2005.
  

Croatia also plays an important role as a producer of animated works, such as the famous TV series Professor Balthazar.