Summary
Veronika Simoniti: Ivana by the sea
When Adrijan Vuga meets Ivana Fortunat under the colonnade of the Maribor monastery, he sees in her independence, benevolence and stubbornness that other girls do not have. He tries to write to her, but her answers are curt, and he makes a special effort to emphasize: Ivana is not asking for anything. Despite teaching in different parts of pre-war Slovenia, Ivana and Adrijan get married and have a daughter, Pina. But since he was always red, he ends up in exile in Serbia, and Ivana and Pina have to seek refuge with their relatives. After the nearby coal mine is conquered by the partisans, the visible fighter Vitalij comes to the village, before whom no one remains indifferent. When after many years Ivana's granddaughter comes across a photo of a pregnant grandmother with her little daughter, she realizes that only Vitali's wife can give some answers, but the final liberation is only fire...
Ivana pred more by the Slovenian writer Veronika Simoniti is a great novel about small people in times of great trouble. Narrated in a masterly manner, this family saga touches the heart and its heroes become like lost relatives from a time that seems distant to us today, but also - which is not to our credit - forgotten.
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