Igor Mandic
Encyclopedia
Igor Mandić is a Croatia
n writer, literary critic, columnist and essayist.
According to literature historian Slobodan Prosperov Novak
, Mandić is the most important and the most versatile Croatian newspaper writer of the second half of the 20th century. His polemic texts have marked a Yugoslav
publicist epoch of the 1960s and 1970s. Known for his fresh, sharp writing style and contrarian views, he has been dubbed "the master of quarrel".
in World War II
, Mandić's father did business with the Italians, all the while secretly helping the Partisan resistance by supplying them with typewriter
s, a precious commodity during wartime. Nevertheless, the communist authorities nationalized
his book store in 1948, leaving the family without its only source of income.
Mandić finished elementary school in Split
, where his family had moved after they lost the book store. After graduating from the classical gymnasium in Split in 1958, Mandić studied comparative literature
at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
, graduating in 1963. During his university years Mandić began to write literary and music reviews, publishing them in student newspapers, literary magazines and cultural weeklies.
. A year later, Mandić got a full-time job in Vjesnik
as a literary and music critic, and also a columnist in Vjesnik u srijedu, a popular weekly magazine published by the same company.
Mandić's articles and columns quickly attracted attention. Particularly controversial was his music criticism; among others, his statement that Tchaikovsky
's works "belonged in a museum" drew an array of irate letters to the editor coming from individuals and organizations alike. The editorial board was in a dilemma, as they wanted to keep Mandić, yet also to maintain good relations with the music establishment. To resolve the problem, Vjesniks director Božidar Novak asked Miroslav Krleža
, a leading Croatian and Yugoslav writer and intellectual of the era, what he thought about Igor Mandić's writings. Krleža replied that, while he didn't agree with everything Mandić wrote, the society needed more critics such as him. This proved to be crucial in saving Mandić's job in Vjesnik. Mandić himself was not aware of the full extent of opposition to his views, and only learned about Krleža's intervention many years later. A similar controversy erupted in 1974, when Mandić described Tchaikovsky's works as "the kitsch
iest opus in the history of music".
who was subsequently purge
d for his "extreme nationalism". Following the publication, Mandić was criticized in a July 1977 speech by Dušan Dragosavac
, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the League of Communists of Croatia
, who found that this review did not sufficiently distance itself from Šegedin's theses, and accused Mandić of "nationalistic deviation". Mandić felt this criticism was unfair and responded with an unprecedented open letter
to Dragosavac, published in Oko magazine, in which he stood by his text, arguing that "one cannot falsify the history of literature by omitting parts which in no way have been ideologically condemned". Dragosavac replied with an open letter of his own, maintaining that Mandić's review was unacceptable because of its "ideological-political aspects", but assured him that his status as an author should not be endangered.
The attack on Mandić was continued by Komunist, the official publication of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
, which — in an article titled "Misuse of our Democracy" — accused Mandić of "nationalism in action", and also criticized Oko and Vjesnik for publishing the two open letters without comment, that is, without saying who was right and who was wrong. Mandić responded with a letter in which he rejected the "nationalist" label, citing several of his Croatian Spring
-era articles in which he was critical towards nationalistic excesses. Finally, Mandić was attacked in an article published in Vjesnik itself, which also warned against "bourgeois ideology, and the traditionally anticommunist and separatist base of Croatian nationalism
".
In the aftermath of the affair, Mandić was barred from publishing in Croatian newspapers and magazines for more than a decade, although he kept his employment at Vjesnik. He was still able to publish books, but they went without a single review in the media. In this period he collaborated with some Belgrade
-based magazines such as NIN
and Duga.
, and since 1997 he works as a free artist, publishing in various periodicals such as Novi Plamen
.
Mandić was the editor-in-chief of Vjesnik from February to October 2000. He succeeded in introducing good-quality content and democratizing the government-controlled newspaper after a decade of Croatian Democratic Union
rule, but was dismissed by the Supervisory Board for failing to boost circulation and make the paper profitable.
Mandić is currently writing a popular weekly column for Nedjeljni Jutarnji
, "Ćorava Kutija".
's award A. G. Matoš
for his book Književno (st)ratište. In 2005 he received a life achievement award of the Croatian Journalists' Association
. In 2006 at the book fair Sa(n)jam knjigu u Puli he received the Kiklop Award for his book Sebi pod kožu. In 2008 he received the Joško Kulušić Lifetime Achievement Award from Slobodna Dalmacija
daily newspaper.
He published following books:
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n writer, literary critic, columnist and essayist.
According to literature historian Slobodan Prosperov Novak
Slobodan Prosperov Novak
Slobodan Prosperov Novak , is a Croatian literature historian, comparativist and theatrologist.-Biography:He graduated comparative literature in 1973 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb, receiving his M.A. in 1976 and Ph.D. in 1978. He worked as a journalist in a periodical...
, Mandić is the most important and the most versatile Croatian newspaper writer of the second half of the 20th century. His polemic texts have marked a Yugoslav
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
publicist epoch of the 1960s and 1970s. Known for his fresh, sharp writing style and contrarian views, he has been dubbed "the master of quarrel".
Early life
Igor Mandić was born in Šibenik in 1939. His father, whom Mandić described as a "self-made man", owned a book store that had an important role in intellectual life of the Šibenik area. During the Italian occupation of DalmatiaDalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Mandić's father did business with the Italians, all the while secretly helping the Partisan resistance by supplying them with typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
s, a precious commodity during wartime. Nevertheless, the communist authorities nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
his book store in 1948, leaving the family without its only source of income.
Mandić finished elementary school in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, where his family had moved after they lost the book store. After graduating from the classical gymnasium in Split in 1958, Mandić studied comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb is one of the top faculties of the University of Zagreb.-History:...
, graduating in 1963. During his university years Mandić began to write literary and music reviews, publishing them in student newspapers, literary magazines and cultural weeklies.
Work at Vjesnik
In 1965, after completing his compulsory military service, Mandić settled permanently in Zagreb, working as a part-time literary critic for the Croatian daily VjesnikVjesnik
Vjesnik is a Croatian daily newspaper, published in Zagreb. Through its history, it has been considered a newspaper of record.The paper was originally printed as a monthly publication by the League of Communists of Croatia starting in 1940...
. A year later, Mandić got a full-time job in Vjesnik
Vjesnik
Vjesnik is a Croatian daily newspaper, published in Zagreb. Through its history, it has been considered a newspaper of record.The paper was originally printed as a monthly publication by the League of Communists of Croatia starting in 1940...
as a literary and music critic, and also a columnist in Vjesnik u srijedu, a popular weekly magazine published by the same company.
Mandić's articles and columns quickly attracted attention. Particularly controversial was his music criticism; among others, his statement that Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's works "belonged in a museum" drew an array of irate letters to the editor coming from individuals and organizations alike. The editorial board was in a dilemma, as they wanted to keep Mandić, yet also to maintain good relations with the music establishment. To resolve the problem, Vjesniks director Božidar Novak asked Miroslav Krleža
Miroslav Krleža
Miroslav Krleža was a leading Croatian and Yugoslav writer and the dominant figure in cultural life of both Yugoslav states, the Kingdom and the Republic . He has often been proclaimed the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Miroslav Krleža was born in Zagreb, modern-day...
, a leading Croatian and Yugoslav writer and intellectual of the era, what he thought about Igor Mandić's writings. Krleža replied that, while he didn't agree with everything Mandić wrote, the society needed more critics such as him. This proved to be crucial in saving Mandić's job in Vjesnik. Mandić himself was not aware of the full extent of opposition to his views, and only learned about Krleža's intervention many years later. A similar controversy erupted in 1974, when Mandić described Tchaikovsky's works as "the kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
iest opus in the history of music".
The "Mandić Affair"
In 1977 Mandić published a collection of his literary reviews, containing an October 1971 review of We Are All Guilty, a book by Croatian writer Petar ŠegedinPetar Šegedin (writer)
Petar Šegedin was a Croatian writer.Šegedin was born in Žrnovo, on the island of Korčula. He graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb...
who was subsequently purge
Purge
In history, religion, and political science, a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, from another organization, or from society as a whole. Purges can be peaceful or violent; many will end with the imprisonment or exile of those purged,...
d for his "extreme nationalism". Following the publication, Mandić was criticized in a July 1977 speech by Dušan Dragosavac
Dušan Dragosavac
Dušan Dragosavac is a former Yugoslav politician of Serb ethnicity from Croatia who was Chairman of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia from 20 October 1981 until 20 June 1982....
, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the League of Communists of Croatia
League of Communists of Croatia
League of Communists of Croatia was the Croatian branch of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia . Until 1952, it was known as Communist Party of Croatia .- History :...
, who found that this review did not sufficiently distance itself from Šegedin's theses, and accused Mandić of "nationalistic deviation". Mandić felt this criticism was unfair and responded with an unprecedented open letter
Open letter
An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally....
to Dragosavac, published in Oko magazine, in which he stood by his text, arguing that "one cannot falsify the history of literature by omitting parts which in no way have been ideologically condemned". Dragosavac replied with an open letter of his own, maintaining that Mandić's review was unacceptable because of its "ideological-political aspects", but assured him that his status as an author should not be endangered.
The attack on Mandić was continued by Komunist, the official publication of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...
, which — in an article titled "Misuse of our Democracy" — accused Mandić of "nationalism in action", and also criticized Oko and Vjesnik for publishing the two open letters without comment, that is, without saying who was right and who was wrong. Mandić responded with a letter in which he rejected the "nationalist" label, citing several of his Croatian Spring
Croatian Spring
The Croatian Spring was a political movement from the early 1970s that called for greater rights for Croatia which was then part of Yugoslavia as well as democratic and economic reforms.-History:...
-era articles in which he was critical towards nationalistic excesses. Finally, Mandić was attacked in an article published in Vjesnik itself, which also warned against "bourgeois ideology, and the traditionally anticommunist and separatist base of Croatian nationalism
Croatian nationalism
Croatian nationalism is the nationalism of Croats or of Croatian culture. It arose in the 19th century in response to Magyarization of Croat territories under Hungarian rule, especially under the influence of Ante Starčević and Eugen Kvaternik,...
".
In the aftermath of the affair, Mandić was barred from publishing in Croatian newspapers and magazines for more than a decade, although he kept his employment at Vjesnik. He was still able to publish books, but they went without a single review in the media. In this period he collaborated with some Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
-based magazines such as NIN
NIN (magazine)
NIN is a weekly newsmagazine published in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name is an acronym for Nedeljne informativne novine which roughly translates into Weekly Informational Newspaper....
and Duga.
1990s and 2000s
From 1993 to 1995 Mandić wrote cultural commentaries for Slobodna DalmacijaSlobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split.The first issue of Slobodna Dalmacija was published on June 17, 1943 by Tito's Partisans in a cave on Mosor, a mountain near Split, which was occupied by the Italian army during that time. The paper was later published in various...
, and since 1997 he works as a free artist, publishing in various periodicals such as Novi Plamen
Novi Plamen
Novi Plamen is a left-wing magazine for political, social and cultural issues primarily aimed at intellectual audiences on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and the related diaspora. It is a leading publication of its kind in the region, published by the Demokratska misao publishing company...
.
Mandić was the editor-in-chief of Vjesnik from February to October 2000. He succeeded in introducing good-quality content and democratizing the government-controlled newspaper after a decade of Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
rule, but was dismissed by the Supervisory Board for failing to boost circulation and make the paper profitable.
Mandić is currently writing a popular weekly column for Nedjeljni Jutarnji
Nedjeljni Jutarnji
Nedjeljni Jutarnji is the weekly Sunday edition of Jutarnji list, the leading quality daily newspaper in Croatia. Nedjeljni is principally concerned with life, culture, politics and style...
, "Ćorava Kutija".
Awards
In 1999 he received Matica hrvatskaMatica hrvatska
Matica hrvatska is one of the oldest Croatian cultural institutions, dating back to 1842. The name is somewhat idiosyncratic, best translated as "The Croatian Centre" . It is the largest publisher of Croatian language books...
's award A. G. Matoš
Antun Gustav Matoš
Antun Gustav Matoš was a Croatian poet, short story writer, journalist, essayist and travelogue writer. He is considered the champion of Croatian modernist literature, opening Croatia to the currents of European modernism, and one of the greatest Croatian literary figures of all time.-Life:Matoš...
for his book Književno (st)ratište. In 2005 he received a life achievement award of the Croatian Journalists' Association
Croatian Journalists' Association
The Croatian Journalists' Association is a Croatian association based in Zagreb aimed at promoting freedom of the press and free speech in journalism....
. In 2006 at the book fair Sa(n)jam knjigu u Puli he received the Kiklop Award for his book Sebi pod kožu. In 2008 he received the Joško Kulušić Lifetime Achievement Award from Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija
Slobodna Dalmacija is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split.The first issue of Slobodna Dalmacija was published on June 17, 1943 by Tito's Partisans in a cave on Mosor, a mountain near Split, which was occupied by the Italian army during that time. The paper was later published in various...
daily newspaper.
Work
Mandić is a very prolific writer. He publishes literary critics, socio-culturological feuilletons and essays. He is a lifetime collaborator of various radio and television stations.He published following books:
- Uz dlaku (critics, Mladost, Zagreb 1970)
- Mysterium televisionis (essays, Mogućnosti, Split 1972)
- Gola masa (feuilletons, Znanje, Zagreb 1973)
- Nježno srce (polemics, Znanje, Zagreb 1975)
- Mitologija svakidašnjeg života (feuilletons, Otokar Keršovani, Rijeka 1976)
- Od Bacha do Cagea (essays and critics, Mladost, Zagreb 1977)
- 101 kratka kritika (Zagreb 1977)
- U sjeni ocvale glazbe (polemics, Znanje, Zagreb 1977)
- Policajci duha (polemics, Globus, Zagreb 1979)
- Šok sadašnjosti (essays, Centar za informacije i publicitet, Zagreb 1979)
- Arsen (monography, Zagreb, 1983)
- Književnost i medijska kultura (essays, Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske, Zagreb 1984)
- Što, zapravo, hoće te žene (feuilletons, Znanje, Zagreb 1984; Varaždin and Pula 1985)
- Principi krimića (essays, Mladost, Beograd 1985)
- Jedna antologija hrvatske poratne poezije (anthology, Prokuplje, Zagreb, 1987)
- Zbogom dragi Krleža (polemics, Književne novine, Beograd 1988; 2nd ed. Profil international, Zagreb 2007)
- Bračna kuhinja (co-authored with Slavica Mandić; feuilletons, Grafički zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb 1989; 2nd ed. Profil international, Zagreb 2006)
- Ekstaze i mamurluci (essays, August Cesarec, Zagreb 1989)
- Romani i krize (critics, Beograd, 1996)
- Književno (st)ratište (critics, Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske, Zagreb 1998)
- Za našu stvar (critics and polemics, Konzor, Zagreb 1999; 2nd expanded ed. Biblioteka XX. vek, Beograd 2001)
- Prijapov problem (essays, Arkzin, Zagreb 1999)
- Između dv(ij)e vatre (columns, Nin, Beograd 2000)
- Bijela vrana (columns and polemics, Prosvjeta, Zagreb 2000)
- Hitna služba (a selection of columns from Vjesnik 1999-2005, Sysprint, Zagreb 2005)
- Sebi pod kožu. Nehotična autobiografija (Profil international, Zagreb 2006)
- Notes (columns, Matica hrvatska, Zagreb 2007)
- U zadnji čas (Profil International, Zagreb 2009)