Lungomare was the inspiration for the story “Okus mora” (The Flavour of the Sea) by: Josip Novaković
Lungomare
The Promenade of Franz Joseph I, better known as Lungomare, stretches along the coastline from Volosko to Lovran for a total of 12 kilometers. Next to the Lungomare, there are gorgeous specimens of plants and trees common to the area.
The northern section, from Volosko to Opatija, was constructed in 1889, the same year that Opatija was officially declared a climatic resort, and the south section connecting Opatija to Lovran was finished in 1911.
From then on, Lungomare remained the favourite walkway for the locals and their guests, the motif of countless photos and paintings, an essential part of the waterside view of Opatija.
Josip Novaković
Josip Novaković was born 1956 in Daruvar, and has been living in North America since he was twenty. He teaches literature and creative writing in Montreal. He mostly writes in English and his works have been translated into 20 languages.
He won several awards: the Whiting Writers Award, American Book Award, Ingarm Merrill Award, and, a few years back, he was one of the finalists for the Man Booker International award. He worked as a fellow for the Cullman Center (New York Public Library), Fulbright (Saint Petersburg) and the Guggenheim Foundation.
He published seven books in Croatia – the latest are a collection of essays “Sumka 43” of 2017, and a collection of stories “Dimna zavjesa” (“The Smoke Screen”) of 2016. He recently published a collection of short stories “Tumbleweed” (2017) in the US and Canada, and “Honey in Carcase” is expected for publication in 2019.
His articles are often featured in the daily newspaper Jutarnji list. His book on practical criticism, “Fiction Writers Workshop“, is used at a number of universities in the US. The New York Times Book Review praised him several times for his lyricism and astute observations, and the Utne Reader included him among the ten writers which could alter our world view.
