Imbra Houstovnjak: A bilingual fantasy picture book in Croatian dialect inspired by Slavic folklore
Imbra Houstovnjak is an illustrated bilingual fantasy tale in the Kajkavian Croatian language that leads you on an epic journey in the heart of Northern Croatia.
Our hero Imbra meets many magical beings, artefacts and creatures who help him on his journey to defeat the evil that threatens the peaceful landscape and its people. Is he going to succeed and who is going to join him in this adventure?
The story is inspired by the local Croatian Slavic folklore and mythology. It’s written in the stylised language of Marija Bistrica area, a famous Marian shrine in Croatia, and is followed by the translation into the standard Croatian language to make it accessible to all those who want to learn more about this dialect and love fantasy genre.
But Imbra Houstovnjak is much more than a fantasy story….
Imbra Houstovnjak as an educational material for educational system and language preservation
→ It’s an answer to negative trends of a declining presence of dialects in public, alienation of the young native speakers.
→ It helps solve the lack of appealing materials in modern media and educational system.
→ It can be used as an educational tool for encouraging people to preserve and share local culture.
Imbra connects local communities through story and language, and raises the awareness of the dialects in public.
Characters and events influenced by the local Croatian Slavic mythology
Fantasy map of Imbra’s world inspired by the language of Croatian Zagorje
Stylised spelling accompanied with a pronunciation guide makes the language more universal and easier to read while the handwritten form gives it authenticity
Dictionary of less familiar words and expressions
From scratch to final design
Listen to the audio version of a native speaker
Curious what the story sounds like in its native dialect? Listen to the audio version of the very beginning recorded by Martina Premor from Marija Bistrica area.
Imbra Houstovnjak retold in other dialects and languages
Real life inspirations from Northern Croatia
Trakoscan Castle / Dovrac Trakošćan (Source: Pexels)
Croatian Zagorje / Hrvatsko Zagorje (Izvor: Grgo Petrov)
The petrified wedding guests / Kameni svati (Source: Katolicki tjedan)
Licitar hearts / Licatarsksa srca (Source: Medičarnica Špičko)
“The identity of every community is primarily preserved in their language and tradition. In losing them, we lose our history.“
Dive into an epic adventure and support local languages
Curious about the whole story? Order your copy from the limited edition our publisher’s website. Support the projects that promote and preserve local languages in Croatia.
Author and illustrator GRGO PETROV
Contribution to illustration HELENA NEMEC
Translation IVANA ŠKRLEC
Narration MARTINA PREMOR
Publisher SREDNJA EUROPA
Print TISKARA ZELINA
The project was co-financed by the Republic of Croatia Ministry of Culture and the City of Zagreb.
