16 Books in Search of Readers: Tomislav Šovagović

As part of the Month of Croatian Books, on 21 October 2026, we will welcome Tomislav Šovagović, who will present his novel Crnica Blues as part of the programme 16 Books in Search of Readers.

At 1 p.m., he will meet with members of the Knjiga i kumpanija Reading Club at the Retirees’ Club Reading Room, while at 6 p.m. he will present his novel at the Central Library in a conversation with Neven Trgovčić.

Tomislav Šovagović (Šibenik, 1976) is a prominent Croatian writer, journalist and independent artist. He graduated in journalism and theology in Zagreb. During his journalistic career, he worked for leading print media (Glas Koncila, Vijenac), radio stations (Croatian Catholic Radio, Otočni radio Kornati) and national television networks (HRT, Nova TV and RTL). He is the author of the programme Na kraju tjedna (At the End of the Week) on Croatian Radio’s Third Programme and the founder of a website dedicated to the renowned actor Fabijan Šovagović: www.fabijan-sovagovic.com.

He has published 14 books, including short story collections (Rudnik čvaraka, Spremište Trešnjevka, Kad narastem, bit ću Dražen), poetry collections, novels (Mangan and Crnica Blues), and the travelogue Marilyn Express.

He has received 49 literary awards, including the Josip i Ivan Kozarac Award for Book of the Year, the Dubravko Horvatić Award, and numerous distinctions at the Stjepan Kranjčić literary gatherings. He is a member of the Croatian Writers’ Association.

The programme 16 Books in Search of Readers is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia through a public call for projects promoting audience development in public libraries. It is based on two main activities: each visiting author takes part in a meeting with one of the library’s reading clubs and holds a literary event open to everyone interested.

Throughout 2026, the programme will host authors presenting books that were included in the Ministry’s previous year’s book acquisition programme.