writers

Ivana Bodrožić

Ivana Bodrožić was born in Vukovar in 1982. In 2005, she published her first collection of poetry entitled Prvi korak u tamu (The First Step into Darkness) as part of the Goran Award for Young Poets. Her poems have been included in numerous Croatian and international magazines and anthologies of
contemporary poetry.
Her first novel Hotel Zagorje (Hotel Tito) was published in 2010, receiving high praise from both critics and the public and was a Croatian bestseller. Hotel Zagorje is a coming-of-age story that takes place during seven years of displacement and the endless waiting for news about a father listed as “missing”.
The novel has been published by numerous reputable publishing houses and it received the prestigious Prix Ulysee award for the best debut novel in France, as well as numerous important awards in Croatia and the Balkan region such as the Kočićevo Pero Award, Josip and Ivan Kozarac Award, and Kiklop Award for the best work of fiction in 2010.
Bodrožić has since published her second collection of poetry, Prijelaz za divlje životinje (A Road for Wild Animals) and a short story collection 100% pamuk (100% Cotton), which received a regional award.
Her works have been translated into German, French, Czech, Danish, Slovenian, Spanish and Macedonian.

1. Educational, artistic and professional background (list):

Ivana Simić Bodrožić completed her studies in Croatian Language and Literature and Philosophy at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. In 2005, she published her first poetry collection entitled Prvi korak u tamu (The First Step into Darkness) as part of the Goran Award for Young Poets. Her poems have been included in numerous Croatian and international magazines and anthologies of contemporary Croatian poetry as well as a German anthology Konzert für das Eis (Wunderhorn Verlag, 2009). This book of poetry was also translated into Spanish and published in 2011 by Baile del Sol publishing house. Her first novel, Hotel Zagorje (Hotel Tito), was published in 2010 (publisher: Profil multimedija) and received high praise from both critics and audiences. In 2011, Hotel Zagorje (Hotel Tito) was published in Serbia and Slovenia. In 2012, it was translated into German and published by the publishing house Hanser Verlag, which bought the rights to the novel and its international promotion. This year it will also be published in France by Acte Sud, as well as in the Czech Republic and in Macedonia. As a co-scriptwriter Ivana Bodrožić is currently working on the film adaptation of the novel with the renowned Bosnian director, Jasmila Žbanić.

2. Major prizes and grants: 

Prvi korak u tamu (The First Step into Darkness; SKUD Ivan Goran Kovačić, 2005)

• Goran Award for Young Poets
• Kvirin Award for the best poetry collection by an author under 35 

Hotel Zagorje (Profil multimedija, 2010)

• Kočićevo Pero Award (Banja Luka-Beograd) – for outstanding achievement in the field of contemporary literature
• Josip and Ivan Kozarac Award (Privlačica, Vinkovci) – a certificate of excellence
• Kiklop Award for the best work of fiction in 2010 (an award given by peers and experts in the literary field) 

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia (2007) – Ministry’s support for literary creation (also for Hotel Zagorje)

Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC) – Screenplay development funding for film adaptation of Hotel Zagorje (2010) (screenwriters: Jasmila Žabnić and Ivana Bodrožić).

3. Bibliography:

Prvi korak u tamu, 2005 (book of poetry), SKUD Ivan Goran Kovačić

Primer paso a la oscuridad, 2011, Ediciones de Baile del Sol

Hotel Zagorje, 2010 (novel), Profil, Zagreb

Hotel Zagorje, 2011, Rende, Belgrade

Hotel Zagorje, 2011, Modrijan, Ljubljana

Hotel Nirgendwo, 2012, Hanser, Munich

Hotel Z., 2012, Acte Sud, Paris

Hotel Zagorje, 2012, Paseka, Prague

Hotel Zagorje, 2012, Magor, Skopje

Prijelaz za divlje životinje, 2012 (book of poetry), VBZ, Zagreb

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