Photo:Marin Tironi/PIXSELL

When the most famous literary-academic pair in the region says that it is possible to write a great work of literature and become a respected author without the support of the media, then perhaps it is true that the most important thing is to do what you love and indulge in the success that comes from hard work and perseverance.

At the panel discussion entitled “Read me gently”, writer Julijana Matanović and academician Pavao Pavličić clearly emphasized that the formula for success in literature is very simple: love, love, love writing. Both agreed that if you believe in what you do, you should not focus too much on money, media attention, and PR.

“From the early days, I knew that whether or not it was possible to make a living from writing, literature was my future. Writing is a calling, not a job,” Matanović said.

Commenting on the popularity of influencer marketing and the spread of influence through new technologies, Pavličić said that he was repulsed by public relations for the same reasons many other people doubt the credibility of PR. “Lack of trust is a key problem I have with this increasingly popular profession,” the esteemed author explained, concluding that he no longer trusts press releases.

Julijana Matanović is a well-known Croatian writer and literary critic who achieved her greatest success by writing novels for adults and children. One of her most popular books is “Why I Lied to You”, for which she received the Josip and Ivan Kozarac Literary Award.

Pavao Pavličić is a Croatian writer, academic, and translator. He has received numerous recognitions and awards, including the Antun Branko Šimić Award for the collection of short stories “Fairy Firefighters”, the Miroslav Krleža Award for the novel “Invisible Letter”, and the Mato Lovrak Award for the children’s novel “Place in the Heart”.