NEW LITERARY GENERATION AT THE KROKODIL FESTIVAL 2024

10 Jun NEW LITERARY GENERATION AT THE KROKODIL FESTIVAL 2024

Get Ready for the performances of the most prominent representatives of the newest literary generation and young literary stars of the region at this year’s KROKODIL Festival! Anticipation is growing as our already exciting lineup for this year’s festival is further enriched by three new faces bringing waves of freshness to the local literary scene – Nađa Petrović, Filip Grujić, and Dora Šustić.

Nađa Petrović will perform on the festival’s opening night, Friday, June 21st, at 8 PM on the Main Stage in front of the Museum of Yugoslavia. Filip Grujić will take the stage on the second day, Saturday, June 22nd, and Dora will present herself to the audience on Sunday, the third night of the festival, June 23rd.

Nađa Petrović quickly caught the attention of readers with her novel “Meduze žive zauvek dok ih ne uhvate” (“Jellyfish Live Forever Until They Are Caught”), climbing to the top of bestseller lists. The book starts as a teenage drama of growing up but soon turns into an exciting confession about fear, fragility, and the struggle with life. With her sovereign and unique voice, Nađa Petrović brings completely new registers and sensibilities to domestic literature. All of this contributed to her being chosen to open this year’s KROKODIL Festival.

Filip Grujić, author of the novel “I onda opet, iz početka” (“And Then Again, from the Beginning”), has already attracted public attention with his unique combination of humor and deep reflections on love and life. Filip’s second novel was shortlisted for the prestigious NIN Award, further confirming the value of his work. Teofil Pančić wrote in the weekly “Vreme”: “I wouldn’t say I’ve read a better novel written in Serbian this year…”

Unfortunately, the local reading public has not yet had the chance to read Dora Šustić, as her debut novel “Psi” (“Dogs”) has not yet found a publisher in Serbia. However, she garnered significant attention at the VRISAK literary festival in Rijeka. Her presentation sparked a heated debate online due to the scandalously ageist and sexist behavior of two older colleagues. Dora described that promotion as a “perverse ambush” and bravely stood by her work and feminism. “Psi” is a very successful novel about a generation of millennials craving freedom, raised to believe anything is possible until the harshness of liberal capitalism reduces them to precarious work with no room for youthful ideals. The novel has been published in three editions so far. Therefore, this year’s KROKODIL Festival is a special opportunity to get to know the remarkable Dora Šustić, who will perform last on the third night of the festival, symbolically closing this year’s KROKODIL Festival and once again affirming its orientation towards the future, new literary names, and fresh currents in regional literature.

Tickets for the evening programs can be purchased through the GIGS TIX network here as well as directly at the KROKODIL Center on weekdays from 12 to 8 PM and at the festival ticket office one hour before the start of the program.