In his travels through Croatia, Tony Fabijancic saw a world of peasants, shepherds and fishermen irrevocably giving way to the new reality of a modern European state. With a deft and sure touch, he records moments that capture the lingering spirit of the old world even as the former fabric of this place is unravelling forever. The author's profound familiarity with the "extraordinary regionality" of Croatia leads to memorable images of the country, and to sketches and unhurried ruminations on its people, its landscapes, kitchens, cities, and coastlines.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Tony Fabijancic has a PhD in English from the University of New Brunswick and teaches at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. He is the author of Croatia: Travels in Undiscovered Country.
"Join Tony Fabijancic as he returns to his homeland exploring the quiet hidden corners and the complex history of this beautiful place..." -- Wanderlust, August 2003.
"While only partially representing the Croatian way of life, which these days is increasingly urbanized and computerized, these personal (but never biased) essays fully encapsulate the country's essence. Fabijancic gets extra credit for not letting the much-written-about politics interfere and ruin the narrative's delicate flow." Mirela Roncevic, Library Journal
"The book gives a fascinating insight into not only the countryside, as you would expect from a book about travel, but also into the people and their attitudes on a whole range of subjects." M2 Best Books
"Filled with the colours and 'feels' of Croatia, inhabited by faces commonly unseen, and accompanied by insightful reflections and comments, Croatia: Travels in Undiscovered Country is an informative and engaging book, and a highly gratifying guide into Croatia's 'back-roads', diverse natural beauties, and vanishing complex cultures." Gordana P. Crnkovic (University of Washington), Slavic & East European Journal, 48.2, Summer 2004
"Throughout his travels, he seeks answers to the question, 'what makes a Canadian-born son of immigrants look back across the ocean for a place to belong?' Black-and-white photos capture the traditional ways of the Croatians, as well as the beauty and grandeur of the country. In this inspiring book, Fabijancic has admirably met his objective of "emphasizing facts of a different order: the evanescent moment on the road that captured the spirit of the old world still in evidence; the hidden or forgotten crevices; the personal instead of the public; and the present still permeated by a vital past." Norman P. Goldman, Canadian Book Review Annual, 2004
