Miroslav Krleža’s manuscripts in NSK collections presented as part of 2026 Miroslav Krleža Festival
On 3 July 2026, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) hosted the 15th edition of the Miroslav Krleža Festival, celebrating the legacy of one of Croatia’s greatest 20th-century writers and thinkers and taking place in Zagreb and Koprivnica by 10 July 2026.
As the Festival’s longtime partner, the Library organised its traditional get-together, whose programme includes the exhibition of Krleža’s manuscripts preserved in the NSK Manuscripts and Rare Books Collection.
A unique look into Krleža’s legacy
After a welcome address by the NSK Director General Dr Ivanka Stričević, the Festival’s Director Goran Matović also greeted the present visitors.
Other programme participants included the Head of the NSK Manuscripts and Rare Books Collection Dr Irena Galić Bešker, Professor at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Lada Čale Feldman, Dr Suzana Marjanić, from the Zagreb Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, and Pavle Bonča, from The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography, whose discovery of Krleža’s unknown dramatic text in the Collection was one of the highlights of the Festival’s 2023 edition.
Following a debate on Krleža’s lasting impact on Croatian literature and culture and the relevance of his texts in the context of current global developments, the programme’s visitors had a unique opportunity to see manuscripts for his works Journey to Russia (Izlet u Rusiju), The Glembays (Gospoda Glembajevi), On the Edge of Reason (Na rubu pameti) and others. Preserved as part of the Library’s holdings in accordance with Krleža’s express wish and vital for understanding Krleža’s oeuvre, the manuscripts and other material in his NSK archive have been available to the public since 2001.
The Festival’s rich programme taking place by 10 July
Opened on 28 June with a premiere of Aretej, the last play which Krleža managed to finish and a highly complex and provocative dramatic text addressing issues surrounding the (social) responsibility of intellectuals, the very purpose of humanism and an individual’s position in times of violence and political and other threats to freedom, the Festival is taking place by 10 July.
This year also hosted by the University of Zagreb’s Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb Youth Theatre, Josip Račić Modern Gallery and the Croatian State Archives, the Festival is organised with the support of the City of Zagreb, Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media, Zagreb Tourist Board and the City of Koprivnica.
Photo: © NSK