Can breakfast open up new places of freedom? Should breakfast bring about new knowledge? Can breakfast be an intellectual challenge? Is it possible for the breakfast not to be boring? The answer to all these questions is yes and it is about the Breakfast with the author, the iconic program of the Book Fair(y) in Istria, a brilliant edition that was presented to the audience on 3 December, the last day of the 29th Book Fair(y) in Istria. Leonida Kovač, an art historian and curator, a Pula local, living in Zagreb, and Emir Imamović Pirke, the presenter, were responsible for the big morning finish. It was a memorable breakfast at which the guest, guided by a skillful host, raised many important questions. The thunderous applause from the audience at the end of the hour-long breakfast, which felt like it lasted only a moment, showed that everything was done in a clever way and with the right balance.

Why has political opinion, which has disappeared from high politics, been relocated solely to the realm of art? What are European values and what is Europe? What knowledge is legitimate and what is not?  How can we form unions when today we no longer have workers, but human resources? Who owns the very program and software of artificial intelligence and who has the right to it? These are just some questions that were included in the multidisciplinary discussion by Leonida Kovač, which she concluded with the following words: "The Fair is one of the few places where freedom of thought is allowed".

After that came the overture to the Grand Finale of Histrokozmos, which deals with the wine saga, and the program entitled "30 years: from Kalavojna to Vinistra" was attended by Veljko Ostojić, Ivica Matošević, Luka Rossi, Edi Maružin, and Vlaho Bogišić. The program was hosted by the marvelous Roberta Razzi. At the center of this warm story was an emotional tribute to Franko Lukež, who in a peculiar way – at the same time modern and faithful to the tradition  - traced the path by which Istria, its gastronomy and enology shone on the European and world map. The "Letter from the future" written by Franko Lukež in 2001 on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of Kalavojna, of which he was one of the founders, testifies about his visionary thinking. The letter was read by the brilliant actor Valter Roša. And then the show began, not a mini, but a grand, powerful one, like a night-time glow, performed in the Red Salon by Edi East Trance Blues in honor of Lukež. The Vinistra's winemaker wines were showcased by the sommeliers Sandi Paris and Karin Rupena Perdec.

The evening began with the granting of the "Doctor Ivo Borovečki" award, won by Vera Mihajlović as the top reader for this year's 29th Book Fair(y) of Istria. The award was given to her by the director of The Book Fair, Magdalena Vodopija, and the award program was hosted by Emir Imamović Pirke.Vera Mihajlović was born in 1949 in Ljubljana. She completed Medical high school in Pula and worked in healthcare until her retirement. She's married and the mother of two grown daughters and the grandma (nona) of three grandchildren. She spends her retirement days actively engaging in various hobbies such as reading, painting, Nordic walking, volunteering... or, as she likes to say, "spreading love and enjoyment of life..." She is a regular visitor of all programs hosted by the club Giardini 2 bookstore and the Book Fair in Istria.

The "Doctor Ivo Borovečki" award was established exactly a decade ago, in 2013, in memory of the renowned doctor from Pula, a radiologist, a polyglot and a versatile intellectual, a prominent Croatian Esperantist, who was also a great friend of the Fair. The award is designed to express gratitude to the top reader and it consists of a sculpture in the shape of the letter Č created according to the idea of the sculptor Marina Orlić, which was made this year by the artist Neva Legović. The award also includes a dedicated amount of 150 EUR for the purchase of books at the Book Fair(y) in Istria.
The finalists of the Fric Literary Award were also introduced at the 29th Book Fair(y) in Istria. The director of the daily newspaper '24sata' Goran Gavranović and the deputy editor-in-chief of 24sata Alen Galović spoke both about the finalists and this important award. Six titles have made it to the finals of the Fric Literary Award: 'Peleov priručnik' (Pele’s Handbook) (V.B.Z.) by Dragan Jurak, 'Mirovanje' (Rest) (V.B.Z.) by Dunja Matić, 'Gracija od čempresa' (The Cypress Gracia) (OceanMore) by Želimir Periš, 'Brod za Issu' (A Ship for Issa) (Sandorf) by Robert Perišić, 'Ljeta s Marijom' (Summers with Marija) (Fraktura) by Olja Savičević Ivančević, and the novel 'Sama' (Alone) by Ivana Šojat (Ljevak). 

The finalists were chosen by a jury presided over by the theatrician Nataša Govedić. Other members of the jury were the molecular biologist Dragomira Majhen, the playwright Dubravka Vrgoč, the literary critic and theorist Tomislav Brlek, the theologian Dalibor Milas, the lawyer Čedo Prodanović, and the historian Hrvoje Klasić.The award was established by 24sata and the weekly magazine Express, and it will be presented for the seventh time on December 15th. 

The honour of closing the 29th Book Fair was given to Korado Korlević, a renowned astronomer and one of the microcosmoi of Istria. In the Red Salon, which has never been so full in the history of the fair, he delivered an impressive lecture titled "From the Magical Land to the Dance of the Dead" as part of the 'PRistrani Histrokozmosa' program, and at the end, he gave everyone in the audience a homework assignment: to do everything they can to make this world a better place. It was a great introduction to the grand theme of the 30th Book Fair in Istria - Mikrokozmos, which was announced with a deep bow and heartfelt thanks to the audience by Magdalena Vodopija at the 29th Fair.

 

+2