How does a language become a nation? These episodes, by linguist Tihana Klepač, look at Croatian through its books: a short history of how Croatian was composed in verse and written into script, what no translation carries from Krleža, Zagorka and Ivana Šojat, why Petar Hektorović wrote down the fishermen, and how Croatian outlasted its empire. Made for listeners who want the story behind the language.
Who Gets to Tell the Story
What postcolonial literary theory, a nineteenth-century pamphlet, and a Nigerian elder have to say about your grandmother's Croatian
Composed in Croatian Verses
A short history of how a language becomes a nation
The Books You Cannot Read
What a language holds that no translation carries, from Blake and Wilde to Zagorka, Krleža and Ivana Šojat.
The Letter a People Writes to Itself
How a Nation Wrote Itself into Script
The Man Who Wrote Down the Fishermen
On Petar Hektorović, Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje, and what it means to decide that someone is worth remembering.
The Language That Outlasted Its Empire
On what it means for a linguist to show you a language at full power — and why Croatian deserves to be heard even if you never plan to speak it