Summary
Hrvoje Ivančić: Danube blues
By boat from Zagreb to the Black Sea
A boat, two friends, and about two thousand kilometers of river from Zagreb to the Black Sea - Danube blues records adventure, everyday incidents and accidents, encounters with people, improvisations and the bewildered state of river banks and cities. Through introspective notes, encounters with unusual characters and everyday challenges of life on the river, Hrvoje Ivančić delivers a travelogue full of wit and melancholy.
The author does not idealize either the journey or his own endeavour, but records the course of the journey with a touch of irony, common sense and sharp observation. The book is a combination of diary entry, reportage and personal commentary - simple in tone and rich in images.
What are the main characteristics of a good travelogue? The answer is very simple, although very few authors manage to effectively put it into practice. Namely, when the reader picks up a travelogue, he must be "bound" by the destination, but also by the author. The key to success is the beginning when we find out where we are traveling and why. Ivančić does not travel on an old steamship, but on an old rubber boat, but the characters he meets on his journey from Zagreb to the Black Sea are picturesque and peculiar, just like those from Rundek's dreamy Wild West.
-Bojana Radović, Večernji list
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