On home, writing, success and the library …
Before becoming a novelist, Lidija was a practicing lawyer. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and other publications. She lives in Zadar with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel is Slanting Towards the Sea.
ON HOME Zadar is Croatia’s fifth biggest city. With around 70,000 people, it’s small enough to feel really intimate yet big enough that you have all the amenities you need.
ON FAMILY In Croatia, family is everything. My husband and I met in high school when we were playing in the same garage band. When we were finishing college in Zagreb we didn’t even think twice about going back home to be close to family because that is where you have to be. I have always wanted to have children and be a mother and do as good a job as possible.
ON ROOTS While I have always lived in Zadar, there is a place that I feel even more at home and that’s the island Prvic, where my grandma is from. It’s a tiny island off the coast (no tourists, no cars) where my grandparents had a small house right on the beach. My sister and I spent every summer there. You would wake up and not even wash your face because the sea was so close. We were there during the homeland war and it was the most perfect time of my life, despite the anxiety of my parents still living in a place that was being bombed and not knowing what would happen. When you step foot on that island you feel the tension drain from you.
Success to me is getting to live my life on my own terms as much as I can.
ON WRITING Writing was the most defining part of me when I was growing up. But when I was 18 I thought I needed to be serious, so I went into law and buried the creative part of me. In Croatia, even the most esteemed professionals don’t earn a lot so my husband and I got to a point where we were 35, at the peak of our careers, and struggling to make ends meet. We had one foot out the door for Ireland when my husband got a remote position which meant we could stay in Croatia. I started working on translating my novel to English, and then I quit law and got certified as a book coach.
ON SUCCESS Success to me is getting to live my life on my own terms as much as I can. It’s not about money but it is about financial freedom, being able to carve out your own time for yourself, getting up in the morning and not having the pressure of rushing somewhere or being under someone’s foot. I’m not fully there, but that would be the dream.
ON BOOKSHOPS In Croatia, bookstores are not privately owned, they’re often run by publishers. My local library is the place where my family and I love going most. It’s an amazing setting, quiet, and calming.
Slanting Towards the Sea, is published by Daunt Books.
We may earn a commission if you buy through affiliate links on our site.
