Summary of Dark Mother Earth
Matija is a successful young Croatian writer with few memories of his childhood. After his girlfriend leaves him, he tries to confront his past. His memories gradually return, revealing the circumstances surrounding his father’s death, the loss of a childhood friend and a series of suicides that occurred in 1991 in the Međimurje region where he grew up. Matija blames himself for several of these deaths, and it appears that many of the villagers blamed him as well.
Reasons to read Dark Mother Earth
Dark Mother Earth is a compelling psychological novel that combines mystery with elements of folklore. It explores childhood trauma, guilt, friendship, and the unreliability of memory, while local myths and legends lend the story a dark and unsettling atmosphere. Parts of the original Croatian text are written in the local dialect, giving the novel a strong sense of place. Kristian Novak is a Croatian writer, linguist and university professor. Dark Mother Earth won the Tportal Prize for Croatian Novel of the Year in 2014 and is often named as one of the best modern Croatian novels. It was adapted for the stage in 2017.
Setting: Međimurje (Croatia)
Dark Mother Earth is mainly set in the Međimurje region of northern Croatia, near the River Mura and the borders with Slovenia and Hungary.
Original title: Črna mati zemla
Year of publication: 2013
Nr of pages: 304
