Intellectuals are a vanishing breed in Croatia. Ever since my arrival in Motovun more than six years ago, I have been searching for them in the Croatian media. The first who has come to my attention is Predrag Matvejević, a writer and a teacher of literature. Having landed in court for libel some five years ago, though, he has been rather quiet lately. Slavko Goldstein, an historian of note, is the second intellectual who has attracted my interest, but it seems that I see the history of Croatia somewhat differently than he does. For some reason I have a feeling that he is playing to the gallery. The third, and last, among Croatian intellectuals who has come to my attention over these years is Igor Mandić, a writer and literary critic. However, he has also been kind of quiet lately. Thus I was quite pleased to skim through an interview with him in today’s Glas Istre (The Voice of Istria). His picture even appears on the front page under a scathing title in bold lettering to the effect that Croatia has ceased to exist with its independence two decades ago. Sold out to all sorts of foreign interests, it has become a travesty of a country. Corrupt to boot, it is but a shell tossed by the waves. Still clutching onto the newspaper, I called a friend who knows him well and asked for an introduction. With some luck, we will meet in Zagreb when an opportunity arises. At long last, there is someone in Croatia I would still wish to talk to, and in earnest. Or am I becoming deluded about this vanishing breed once again?

Addendum (March 12, 2018)

Wishing an introduction to Igor Mandić? Perish the thought. So many years later, I would gladly skirt the last Croatian intellectual, as it were. Everything I have learned about him over the intervening years suggests that the introduction would be entirely in vain at best. At worst, he would bore me to death. The same holds for intellectuals from any other country, I hasten to add. They will all go the way of the dodo soon enough. And so will I, it goes without saying. The best I can do in the meanwhile is enjoy my own company. As well as in writing, as this addendum amply suggests. The last intellectual for true.