{"id":100931,"date":"2026-04-20T13:17:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T11:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nsk.hr\/?p=100931"},"modified":"2026-04-23T09:50:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T07:50:30","slug":"croatian-book-night-2026-to-kick-off-at-nsk-on-23-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nsk.hr\/en\/events\/croatian-book-night-2026-to-kick-off-at-nsk-on-23-april\/","title":{"rendered":"Croatian Book Night 2026 to kick off at NSK on 23 April"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The celebratory, 15th<\/sup> edition of the Croatian Book Night<\/a>, marking World Book and Copyright Day<\/a>\u00a0together with\u00a0Croatian Book Day<\/a>\u00a0and spotlighting the importance of books and reading with regard to major social issues, will traditionally kick off at the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening in the Library\u2019s grand lobby at 12.00, this year\u2019s Night will offer a buoyant alternative to threats posed by the recent growth in armed conflicts and issue an urgent appeal for peace, understanding, tolerance and dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United in bookhood and determined to read the world to peace<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Night\u2019s over 1,000 upcoming events on 266 locations all across Croatia<\/a> will include everything from quizzes and other types of games and competitions, visual art, writing, music and other creative workshops and reading events to get-togethers with authors, plays, open forums, performances, musical shows and other programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Piles<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Apart from libraries, more than 600 participating institutions will include schools, universities, art galleries, museums, correctional institutions, care homes, sports associations, even a planetarium and a brewery. Also, with programmes that will be taking place on means of public transport and in the open \u2013 in parks, squares, by the sea \u2013 the Night will take its message of peace as far and to as diverse audience as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NSK, the Night\u2019s good old launch site<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally the site of the Night\u2019s opening, NSK will again host its kick-off. Starting on 23 April at 12.00 in the Library\u2019s grand lobby, the opening programme will include addresses by the NSK Director General Dr Ivanka Stri\u010devi\u0107, Director of the Zagreb City Libraries Dr Sun\u010dica Ostoi\u0107, President of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of the Croatian Chamber of Economy Slavko Kozina, the representative of the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Youth<\/a> and of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media<\/a>, with whose support the Night has been organised since its inception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme will also include a performance by Croatian interdisciplinary artists Sara Renar<\/a> and Goran Matovi\u0107 drawing on the verses of a great Croatian poet Tin Ujevi\u0107<\/a> (San i ludilo<\/a><\/em>; Dreams and madness<\/em>), the presentation of the results of the latest survey into Croatian citizens\u2019 reading and book-related habits and attitudes as well as the announcement of the winners of this year\u2019s Night\u2019s competition which the Croatian Association of School Librarians<\/a> organised for primary and secondary-school pupils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the visitors at the opening will be able to see an exhibition of Croatian Book Night-themed cartoons by Stipe Kalaj\u017ei\u0107 starring Peacebert Bookowski<\/strong>, another Night\u2019s mascot authored by graphic designer Boris Kuk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"A<\/figure>\n
When your babe is the peace dove<\/em>, a 2026 Croatian Book Night-themed cartoon by Stipe Kalaj\u017ei\u0107.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Revisiting the great peace advocates of Croatian and world culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Evoking universal peace symbolism, Peacebert is a winged, homing pigeon version of Miroslav Krle\u017ea<\/a>, a canonical 20th<\/sup>-century Croatian writer and one of the most prominent anti-war voices of Croatian literature, the 45th<\/sup> anniversary of whose death is marked in 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Peacebert<\/figure>\n
Peacebert Bookowski and his mighty book blaster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As as fictional as inspiring an ambassador of this year\u2019s edition of Croatia\u2019s greatest national celebration of books and reading<\/a>, Peacebert is at the forefront of a wide variety of the Night\u2019s programmes<\/a> bringing to the attention of the public the peace-focused legacy of other central figures of Croatian and world literature the anniversaries of whose births and deaths we are also commemorating this year, such as Nikola Tesla (quite probably the world\u2019s most famous pigeon lover), Federico Garcia Lorca and Jorge Luis Borges.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Night will provide a platform for contemporary messages of peace as well, from today\u2019s famous Croatian writers such as Slavenka Drakuli\u0107, Julijana Adamovi\u0107<\/a>, Damir Karaka\u0161, Bruno \u0160imle\u0161a, Snje\u017eana Babi\u0107 Vi\u0161nji\u0107, Edo Popovi\u0107, Boris Peri\u0107, Martina Divi\u0107, Nada Mihaljevi\u0107<\/a>, Nives Maduni\u0107 Bari\u0161i\u0107<\/a>, Maja \u0160imle\u0161a, etc. In addition, other artists and creatives, such as painters, actors and musicians, including philosophers, mental health experts and various Croatian public figures ranging from Tisja Kljakovi\u0107 Brai\u0107, through Nade\u017eda \u010ca\u010dinovi\u010d, to Jadranka Kosor and many others will likewise be part of the Night\u2019s programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Croatian Book Night\u2019s tradition of humanitarian initiatives continues<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Night\u2019s each edition includes efforts to make the world a better place through books and reading. This year it focuses on a book donation campaign for the inmates of the correctional facilities in Vara\u017edin and Po\u017eega and providing reading material to make their time with their children when they come to visit them a positive and uplifting experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the fourth year in a row, the Night and the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media jointly continue to support both the Ukrainian refugees in Croatia and Ukrainian publishers by making available their titles in Croatian public libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, all profit from the sale of the Night\u2019s promotional T-shirts, bags and other merchandise<\/a> will be donated to a Split-based Udruga Autizam 365<\/a> association, which provides support to persons with autism and their families or caretakers through educational and inclusion-focused programmes and counselling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Organised by the Publishers and Booksellers Association of the Croatian Chamber of Economy<\/a>, National and University Library in Zagreb<\/a>, Zagreb City Libraries<\/a>, books-and-literature-oriented e-zine and web portal Moderna vremena<\/a>, Croatian Publishers Licensing Society (ZANA)<\/a> and the Croatian Association of School Librarians<\/a>, the Croatian Book Night is supported by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media, ZANA, the Croatian Chamber of Economy and City of Zagreb<\/a>, with the Croatian Radio Television<\/a>, 24 sata<\/a><\/u><\/em> media company and VidaTV<\/a> television production company acting as media sponsors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The celebratory, 15th edition of the Croatian Book Night, marking World Book and Copyright Day\u00a0together with\u00a0Croatian Book Day\u00a0and spotlighting the importance of books and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":100429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[535,502,980,855],"class_list":["post-100931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-croatian-book-day","tag-croatian-book-night","tag-nsk-events","tag-world-book-and-copyright-day"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCroatian Book Night 2026 to kick off at NSK on 23 April - Nacionalna i sveu\u010dili\u0161na knji\u017enica u Zagrebu<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On 23 April 2026, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) will host the opening of the 15th edition of the Croatian Book Night.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nsk.hr\/en\/events\/croatian-book-night-2026-to-kick-off-at-nsk-on-23-april\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Croatian Book Night 2026 to kick off at NSK on 23 April - 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