Booksa

Booksa (derived from the English word "book" and the Croatian slang "buksa") is a literary club in Zagreb, Croatia, operated by the association Kulturtreger (Association for the Promotion of Culture). It was opened in January 2004 by Vanja Bjelić Pavlović, Miljenka Buljević, and Maja Župan, who had studied English together. The original idea was to create a commercial space that would finance its own program through book sales, but this model was eventually abandoned. Since 2005, when Booksa joined the "Operacija" program, the club has become part of Zagreb's independent scene. Although primarily focused on literature, its program has expanded to include non-literary events, panel discussions from various artistic fields, concerts, festivals, educational programs, workshops, and guest appearances by intellectuals, artists, professors, translators, and philosophers. The work of Kulturtreger, of which Booksa is one of the main projects, is supported by donors including the City Office for Culture of the City of Zagreb, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the National Foundation for Civil Society Development, and the Kultura Nova Foundation. In 2010, Booksa was included among 37 gay-friendly locations in Zagreb in the city's first gay guide. Booksa hosts a variety of programs: literary discussions such as 'Poezija na živo', 'Od riječi do riječi', 'Tribina o stripu', 'Što mi je ovo trebalo', 'Učitavanje', 'Booksa preporučuje', and the festival 'Revija malih književnosti' (Review of Small Literatures). The festival, founded in 2005, presents literatures of neighboring countries to the Zagreb audience, with authors who are established in their own countries but unpublished in Croatia. Over the years, it has featured writers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Kosovo, Greece, Macedonia, and Albania, as well as from the Benelux, Baltic, Levant (2017), Maghreb (2018), and Egypt (2019). The 2020 pandemic year was dedicated to literature of the Polar Circle and indigenous authors from Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Canada. The 2021 edition was dedicated to Croatia, 2022 to Iceland, and 2023 to Malta. Booksa also initiated Croatia's first open pub quiz in December 2005, initially literary but later expanded to general knowledge, which ran until December 2008. Educational programs include creative writing workshops led by Zoran Ferić and Dorta Jagić, photography workshops, and literary criticism workshops. The music program 'Škrabica' showcases young singer-songwriters. The travel program 'Putopisi' is one of the most visited. Booksa also hosts numerous literary and film festivals. The club continues to be a vibrant hub for independent culture in Zagreb.

Booksa was founded in January 2004 by Vanja Bjelić Pavlović, Miljenka Buljević, and Maja Župan, who had studied English together. The original idea was to open a commercial space that would finance its own program through book sales, but this was eventually abandoned. In 2005, Booksa joined the "Operacija" program and became part of Zagreb's independent scene. Although primarily oriented towards literature, its program gradually expanded to include non-literary events, panel discussions from various artistic fields, concerts, festivals, educational programs, workshops, and guest appearances by intellectuals, artists, professors, translators, and philosophers. The work of the association Kulturtreger, of which Booksa is one of the main projects, is supported by donors including the City Office for Culture of the City of Zagreb, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the National Foundation for Civil Society Development, and the Kultura Nova Foundation. In 2010, Booksa was included among 37 gay-friendly locations in Zagreb in the city's first gay guide. Over the years, Booksa has hosted numerous literary evenings, readings, and conversations with many writers from Croatia and abroad. The festival 'Revija malih književnosti' was founded in 2005 and has been held annually, presenting literatures of neighboring countries. The pub quiz, initiated in December 2005, was the first open quiz in Croatia and ran until December 2008. Educational programs have included creative writing workshops led by Zoran Ferić and Dorta Jagić, photography workshops, and literary criticism workshops. The music program 'Škrabica' showcases young singer-songwriters, and the travel program 'Putopisi' is one of the most visited. Booksa continues to be a vibrant hub for independent culture in Zagreb.

• 2010

  Booksa was listed among 37 gay-friendly locations in Zagreb.

• 2008

  The pub quiz ended on 19 December.

• 2005

  Booksa joined the 'Operacija' program and became part of Zagreb's independent scene.

• 2005

  The festival 'Revija malih književnosti' was founded.

• 2005

  The first pub quiz in Croatia was initiated in December.

• 2004

  Booksa opened in January in Zagreb.

Independent literary and cultural club in Zagreb, known for promoting literature and alternative culture.

Product categories. Literary events · Book presentations · Concerts · Pub quizzes · Educational workshops · Festivals

1. 1Booksa official websitebooksa.hr
2. 2Književni klub Booksa - Wikipediahr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Wikidata entrywikidata.org