Damir Karakaš

Damir Karakaš was born in 1967 in the village of Plašćica near Brinje in the Lika region. For several years, he worked as a journalist in Zagreb and Split. Since 2001, he has lived in Bordeaux, France, and from 2002 to 2007 in Paris, where he supported himself by playing the accordion. He has published the travel book "Bosanci su dobri ljudi" (Bosnians Are Good People), the novel "Kombetari", the short story collection "Kino Lika" (Cinema Lika), the novel "Kako sam ušao u Europu" (How I Entered Europe), the short story collection "Eskimi" (The Eskimos), the novel "Sjajno mjesto za nesreću" (A Great Place for Misfortune), the short story collection "Pukovnik Beethoven" (Colonel Beethoven), the novel "Blue Moon", the novel "Sjećanje šume" (The Forest Remembers), the novel "Proslava" (The Celebration), the novel "Okretište" (The Turning Point), which was staged at the Croatian National Theatre in Split under the direction of Dino Mustafić, and the novel "Potop" (The Flood). The book "Kino Lika" (Cinema Lika) was adapted into a film of the same name by director Dalibor Matanić, which won numerous awards in Croatia and abroad. A film adaptation of the novel "Proslava" (The Celebration), directed by Bruno Anković, was also made. The film won the Grand Golden Arena at the Pula Film Festival and the Oktavijan Award from film critics for the best Croatian film in 2024. His plays are performed in Croatia and abroad. He is the recipient of important domestic and international literary awards: the Tportal Award for Best Novel, the Fric Award, Kočić’s Pen, the Meša Selimović Award, PREMIO ITAS, the English PEN Award, and the City of Zagreb Award. The novel "Proslava" (The Celebration), published in the United States, was included in The Paris Review among the 12 best books in the world in 2024. His books have been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Czech, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Macedonian, and soon into Spanish, Polish, and Albanian. The book "Eskimi" (The Eskimos) is the first translation of Croatian literature into Arabic. The novel "Sjećanje šume" (The Forest Remembers) is included in textbooks for eighth grade primary school and third grade secondary school and is also used at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb, in the Department of Film Directing. He is the father of three daughters. He lives in Zagreb.