Ivo Vojnović: Letters to Emka

This collection of correspondence has been in Dubrovnik libraries since 1951 when it was purchased from Mrs Emka Krstelj. The Krstelj couple had been among Vojnović's closest friends ever since the two men were imprisoned in Šibenik together in 1914/1915.

Vojnović was devoted to theatre and was a playwright at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb until 1911, after which he decided to live as a professional writer and travelled to Italy, Prague, Budapest and Belgrade looking for work.

Even in very difficult war times Vojnović occasionally found work in the theatre. In 1918 he went to Osijek where his play was staged, and subsequently his work took him to Prague, as shown on these two postcards.

In early 1919, Ivo received a letter from his brother Lujo (who was in Paris at the time) asking him to join their ailing mother in France. After a three-day journey via Belgrade, Ivo first arrived in Paris where he stayed with Lujo for two weeks, and then took the train to Nice.

Ivo's mother died in Zagreb on the journey from France and was buried in Dubrovnik in 1922. Ivo spent his final years between Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Belgrade writing plays, working in the theatre and, of course, writing letters.

Ivo's health deteriorated in 1927. He moved first to Zagreb and then to Belgrade where he died in hospital on August 30th, 1929. He wrote his last postcard to Emka, almost completely blind, in 1928.