Modra lasta
Encyclopedia
Modra lasta is a Croatia
n children's magazine published monthly by Školska knjiga
.
The very first issue, titled Djeca za Djecu ([By] Children for Children) was published in Zagreb
in 1954 by Josip Sabolović, a primary school teacher, and featured contributions by his pupils. The editor-in-chief was Blankica Veselić. The first issue had only four black-and-white
pages containing a few essays, drawings and song lyrics made by pupils. Djeca za Djecu soon got very popular so the following issues included contributions by pupils from other Zagreb schools, and eventually, from schools in other cities around the country. As the project grew larger, more adults got involved in it, so the magazine needed a new name. In 1959 a readership poll was held to determine the new name and the winning suggestion was Plava lasta (The Blue Swallow) - but since there was already a newspaper called Plavi vjesnik (The Blue Gazette), it was adapted into Modra lasta (modra and plava being synonym
ous terms for the color blue
in Croatian
).
It continued to be published throughout the following decades and it achieved huge readership numbers thanks to the independent distribution network (as it is distributed directly in most primary schools), the emphasis on children's contributions, and its colorful and simple coverage of topics that closely follow the school curriculum
.
Other sections appearing regularly are Lastoskop (monthly horoscope
as told by Lastan), various personality tests, crossword
s and famous quotation
s.
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 children's magazine published monthly by Školska knjiga
Školska knjiga
Školska knjiga is one of the largest publishing companies in Croatia. It was established in 1950. Until the mid-1990s it had a virtual monopoly on publishing schoolbooks and this remains its core business....
.
History
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
in 1954 by Josip Sabolović, a primary school teacher, and featured contributions by his pupils. The editor-in-chief was Blankica Veselić. The first issue had only four black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
pages containing a few essays, drawings and song lyrics made by pupils. Djeca za Djecu soon got very popular so the following issues included contributions by pupils from other Zagreb schools, and eventually, from schools in other cities around the country. As the project grew larger, more adults got involved in it, so the magazine needed a new name. In 1959 a readership poll was held to determine the new name and the winning suggestion was Plava lasta (The Blue Swallow) - but since there was already a newspaper called Plavi vjesnik (The Blue Gazette), it was adapted into Modra lasta (modra and plava being synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
ous terms for the color blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
).
It continued to be published throughout the following decades and it achieved huge readership numbers thanks to the independent distribution network (as it is distributed directly in most primary schools), the emphasis on children's contributions, and its colorful and simple coverage of topics that closely follow the school curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
.
Lastan
Lastan is a fictional boy character that first appeared in Modra lasta in 1969. Initially he had his own column called Sastanak s Lastanom (Meeting Lastan) where he wrote about his hobbies, games, strategies for better learning, etc. At the end of the school year readers would send him their questions and he would answer them in the following issue. His column became an instant hit and turned Lastan into a well-known mascot of the magazine.Other features
Modra lasta usually has four comics in every issue, usually appearing on the last page of the magazine. The first comic published in Modra lasta was created by Stjepko Težak and Hortenzije Pavić. However, Ivica Bednjanec claims that first comic published in Modra lasta is his Uskočka osveta (Uskok's revenge), made by Bednjanec but upon scenario of dr Stjepko Težak. Over the years, many other comics appeared in Modra lasta, the most famous ones being Lastan and Osmoškolci created by Ivica Bednjanec. The magazine played a very important role in popularizing comics during the 1990s and is today seen as one of the most important magazines in the history of comics in Croatia.Other sections appearing regularly are Lastoskop (monthly horoscope
Horoscope
In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
as told by Lastan), various personality tests, crossword
Crossword
A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer...
s and famous quotation
Quotation
A quotation or quote is the repetition of one expression as part of another one, particularly when the quoted expression is well-known or explicitly attributed by citation to its original source, and it is indicated by quotation marks.A quotation can also refer to the repeated use of units of any...
s.
Prominent contributors
Among the many children's contributions published over the years, some were made by people who later became prominent figures in Croatian society, such as:- Vesna PusićVesna PusicVesna Pusić is a member of Croatian Parliament and one of the main speakers of the opposition Croatian People's Party - Liberal Democrats in the Parliament...
(politician) - Jadranka KosorJadranka KosorJadranka Kosor is a Croatian politician and former journalist. She is the current Prime Minister of Croatia, having taken office on July 6, 2009, following the sudden resignation of her predecessor Ivo Sanader. She is Croatia's first female Prime Minister since independence.-Early life:Jadranka...
(politician) - Mira FurlanMira FurlanMira Furlan is a Croatian actress and singer currently residing in the United States. She is well known for her roles as the Minbari Ambassador Delenn on all five seasons of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 , and Danielle Rousseau on Lost.-Early life:Furlan was born to an...
(actress) - Božidar Alić (actor)
- Rajko Dujmić (composer)
- Željka Ogresta (journalist)
- Tanja Torbarina (columnist)
- Stjepan Čuić (author)