ANNOUNCEMENT

IMPORTANT NEW CROATIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY

24.05.04

 

Dr Branko Franolic has just produced a new and important english language work - A Survey of Croatian Bibliographies 1960-2003. To understand why this is so important for Croatia, I spoke to Dr Franolic.

Why did he embark on this project? "After World War 2, world bibliographies that were published in London and New York mentioned Croatia until 1958 - then stopped. This was due to Belgrade policy, which controlled the flow of information. Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia were mentioned but not Croatia" Dr Franolic informed me. Such policies were to have an effect on academic records of Croatia internationally.

"The 9 volume Bibliography of Bibliographies published by SAUR in Munich (1983-2003) has very few references to Croatia, less than the Former Soviet Republic of Tajikistan, but on a footing with Kyrgyzstan"

"That's the reason to do this bibliography - to cover this gap of 40 years and increase the amount of references."

This bibliography of bibliographies is in a way more complete than the one produced by the National and University library in Zagreb. This is largely due to the fact that a law stating that when a book is published six copies should be deposited with the library is not respected by some publishers and authors. "If a book is not recorded in the National and University library's CIP bulletin it effectively does not exist" said Dr Franolic.

Dr Franolic had to write to many separate libraries in Croatia as well as to state archives and scientific institutes to obtain information about the books held in their libraries. He received much invaluable assistance from staff in libraries in places including Rijeka, Osijek, Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik and monastery libraries in Sinj, Imotski and elsewhere. Due to Dr Franolic's efforts many bibliographies are now recorded that would otherwise not be.

In approaching libraries, one of the realities of the war came to the fore; the deliberate destruction of cultural material by Serbian forces. The monastery at Kostajnica was destroyed; only one book remained there.

That itself shows how important works such as this are. This bibliography will enable historians and other academics to be able to access Croatia's history more fully.

The price of the book is $50 U.S. Dollars (Australia/New Zealand - $55 US Dollars) (postage & packing inc) and can be ordered from Dr Branko Franolic, 15 Midmoor Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 4JD, England

 

© Brian Gallagher