Ivan Baran | |
|---|---|
 Baran in 2018 | |
| Born | 16 November 1996 Zagreb, Croatia |
| Occupation | Novelist, writer |
| Period | 2014–present |
| Genre | Epic fantasy, philosophical novel |
| Notable works |
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| Website | |
| ivanbaran | |
Ivan Baran (born 16 November 1996) is a Croatian writer. He is the author of epic fantasy tetralogy The Black Books Cycle and the philosophical novels Samuel Gide, Monsieur August and The Great Fall. He lives and writes in Vukovar, Croatia.
Ivan Baran was born on November 16, 1996, in Zagreb. [1] His father was a veteran of Croatian War of Independence, serving in 204th Vukovar Brigade in Battle for Vukovar and was a prisoner of war of Sremska Mitrovica Prison in Serbia. [2] [3] [4] His parents divorced in 1999, after which Baran, along with his two brothers, spent four and a half years in two children's homes, which he left as a 7-year-old. [5] [6] He lived in Vukovar since 2005, together with his father, until the latter passed away. [7]
Baran began writing his debut novel, titled Enzolart, in the summer of 2009, as a twelve-year-old. [8] [9] [10] He finished writing it in 2012, the same year his father died. [11]
As a fifteen-year-old in 2012, Baran edited the book Enzolart and prepared it for publishing. [12] In the spring of 2014, Enzolart was published as the book one of the epic fantasy series named The Black Books Cycle (Ciklus Crnih Knjiga). [13]
Book two of The Black Books Cycle, titled Mord Dur'agemski, was published as an e-book in two parts, Mord Dur'agemski, Part One in 2015. and Mord Dur'agemski, Part Two, in 2016. [14]
In 2018. Baran published his first philosophical novel, titled Samuel Gide. [15] Samuel Gide was in the semi-finals of the VBZ competition for the best unpublished novel for the year 2017. [16]
The works Mord Dur'agemski, Part One and Mord Dur'agemski, Part Two were published in print in 2019. [17] That same year, Baran served as an editor of the book Second Derivative (Druga derivacija) by Croatian author Kristijan Mirić. [18]
In 2021, Baran published Darkness of Hil'gum (Tame Hil'guma), [19] book three of The Black Books Cycle, and his second philosophical novel Monsieur August. [20] [21] That same year, he was a subject of the documentary film Good Spirits of Vukovar (Dobri duhovi Vukovara, 2021). [22]
His seventh book, a philosophical novel The Great Fall (Veliki pad) was published in 2024. [23] [24]
Media appearances
In Croatian media, Baran has appeared on major Croatian television networks HRT [25] [26] and NovaTV, [27] as well as local Croatian televisions Plava Vinkovačka , [28] [29] Osječka televizija , [30] Z1 Televizija, [31] Jabuka TV [32] and Televizija Zapad . [33] In print, he gave interviews to major Croatian newspapers 24sata, [34] Jutarnji list [35] and Večernji list , [36] as well as weekly newspaper 7Dnevno . [37] He also appeared in newspapers Glas Slavonije , [38] and gave interviews to Croatian Radio, [39] as well as local radio stations like Hrvatski radio Vukovar , [40] Radio Borovo, [41] and Croatian Catholic Radio, [42] among others.
Among fantasy authors, Baran cited Tolkien, Pullman, Abercrombie, Pratchett, Kay, Williams, Pyle and Paolini as some of his influences. [43] [44] However, he noted that he stopped reading fantasy with the publication of Enzolart, after which he mostly read classics and philosophical books. [45] [46]
Among the authors of classics, he cited Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Proust and Krleža as his influences, [47] as well as Gide, Beckett and Hesse. [48] Among philosophers who influenced his works, he cited Camus, [49] Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. [50]
Critical reception
In short review of his book Samuel Gide for literary magazine Časopis Kvaka, book critic Klara Capan wrote: "I had the impression that I was reading a classic, and I defined the atmosphere as being closest to reading a book by Oscar Wilde or Süskind's Perfume." [51] Writing a review of Samuel Gide for Centar Kulture, author and book critic Ivan Žganec wrote:
Samuel Gide's plot is relatively simple, but its complexity is evident in the author's attempt to reflect in detail the progressive mental decline. (...) All this happens to an unusual extent: with each subsequent page, the characters seem to exist less and less, which makes the reader not only find himself increasingly distant from them, but at one point he realizes that the characters do not exist, that he is truly alone here and has no one to observe except himself. [52]
In a review of The Black Books Cycle for the news website Press032, book critic and professor Marija Lozančić-Keser offered a nuanced assessment of the series. Regarding Enzolart, she wrote:
Enzolart has a lot of fantasy clichés and, in my opinion, too many characters. Some dialogues are too simple. On the other hand, just when you think you're reading simple fantasy, you come across reflections and depths that you don't expect from a child, and maybe even scare you. Enzolart is fast, light, relaxing as a fantasy, with not too many mistakes. [53]
Reviewing Mord Dur'agemski, she stated:
It surprised me with its style, structure and originality. The writing style reminds me of Tolstoy at times (...) [54] The book could use some more editing, but that doesn't detract from the work as a whole. The story is complex, the descriptions are detailed but not overdone, and the psychology, along with the epic structure, is perhaps the foundation of the entire work." [55]
The Black Books Cycle as a whole Lozančić-Keser described as "intense", adding:
Each character is troubled by something, they are always lost in thought, there is a lot of philosophizing (and even serious philosophy). It's easy to forget that you are reading fantasy, and not some dark book of 19th century realism." [56]
In 2019, an excerpt from Samuel Gide was published in the 14. vukovarski zbornik Matice Hrvatske anthology, published by Matica Hrvatska. [57]
In 2025, following the publication of the second edition of his book Enzolart, [58] Baran released a short film of the same name. [59] Enzolart is a 37-minute-long animated film with narration from the book Enzolart. [60] Its first two screenings were held in Vukovar [61] [62] and Velika Mlaka. [63] [64] [65]
That same year, in collaboration with Croatian video game producer Digital Gods, Baran announced a developement of the ARPG video game Enzolart. [66] Early gameplay footage of the video game was screened together with a film Enzolart. [67] [68]
Baran lives alone, in Vukovar. [69] He stated that he writes for about 6 hours a day. [70]
He is a cosmopolitan and humanist. [71] In some of his interviews, he said to have never tried cigarettes or alcohol, but he does drink coffee. [72] He is an autodidact. [73]
| Year | Title | Role | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021. | Good Spirits of Vukovar (Dobri duhovi Vukovara) | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2025. | Enzolart | Voice | Animated short film | Also producer |
Ovaj mladi književnik rođen je 16. studenog 1996. godine u Zagrebu[This young writer was born on November 16, 1996, in Zagreb]
"Otac Ivan Baran, bivši pripadnik 204. vukovarske brigade i logoraš" (Translated: "His father Ivan Baran, ex-member of 204th Vukovar brigade and ex-prisoner of war")
"Sin sam vukovarskog branitelja i bivšeg logoraša Srijemske Mitrovice Ivana Barana." (I am a son of Ivan Baran, a Vukovar defender and ex-POV of Sremska Mitrovica)
"Ljubav prema čitanju naslijedio je od oca Ivana, inače vukovarskog branitelja i bivšeg logoraša Srijemske Mitrovice." (Translated: "He inherited his love of reading from his father Ivan, a Vukovar defender and former POV of Sremska Mitrovica.")
"spletom nesretnih okolnosti, Ivan i njegova dva brata završili su u domu za djecu, gdje su četiri i pol godine proživljavali život bez roditelja" (Translated: "due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, Ivan and his two brothers ended up in an children's home, where they lived without parents for four and a half years.")
Roditelji su mi se rastali 1999. godine, nakon čega smo moja braća i ja otišli u Dječji dom Braća Mažuranići u Novom Vinodolskom na 4 godine, a onda i u Dječji dom Sveta Ana u Vinkovcima na pola godine, (Translated: "My parents divorced in 1999, after which my brothers and I went to the Braća Mažuranići Children's Home in Novi Vinodolski for 4 years, and then to the Sveta Ana Children's Home in Vinkovci for six months.")
a 2005. godine vratili smo se u Vukovar živjeti sa ocem. (Translated: "and in 2005 we returned to Vukovar to live with father.")
"Ivan Baran, počeo je pisati kada mu je bilo 12 godina" (translated: "Ivan Baran has started writing when he was 12 years old.")
Ivan Baran (24) počeo je pisati s 12 godina. (translated: Ivan Baran (24) has started writing as a 12-year-old)
Ivan Baran koji je nedavno objavio svoju prvu knjigu Enzolart (Krvava zemlja) koju je napisao sa 12 godina. (Translated: "Ivan Baran who recently has published his first book Enzolart (Bloody land) which he wrote when he was 12")
"Posljednja izmjena Enzolart" pisana je tokom čitave 2011-te godine, da bi tokom 2012-te godine, kada mi je otac u proljeće mlad umro od nepoznatog uzroka, bila uređivana i lektorirana. Uređivao sam knjigu gotovo čitavu 2012-tu godinu... (translated: "Last revision of Enzolart" was written in whole 2011, and in 2012, when my father died in spring from unknown cause, it was edited and proofread. I edited it thru almost whole 2012...")
"Posljednja izmjena Enzolart" pisana je tokom čitave 2011-te godine, da bi tokom 2012-te godine, kada mi je otac u proljeće mlad umro od nepoznatog uzroka, bila uređivana i lektorirana. Uređivao sam knjigu gotovo čitavu 2012-tu godinu i lektorirao ju (jer nisam imao novaca za lektora) više od tri mjeseca." (Translated: "The last modification of Enzolart" was written throughout 2011, and was edited and proofread in 2012, when my father died young in the spring of an unknown cause. I edited the book for almost the entire year of 2012 and proofread it (because I had no money for a proofreader) for more than three months.")
"Mord Dur'agemski", koji je kao e-knjiga objavljen još 2015., a treći dio, "Mord Dur'agemski, dio drugi", kao e-knjiga se pojavio 2016." (Translated: Mord Dur'agemski, who as an e-book was published in 2015., and book three, Mord Dur'agemski, part two, as an e-book was published in 2016.")
"a 2018. je objavio filozofski roman "Samuel Gide" (Translated: "and in 2018 he published his philosophical novel Samuel Gide")
te ušao u polufinale VBZ-ova natječaja za najbolji neobjavljeni roman 2017. godine. (translated: and he entered a semi-finals of VBZ competition for the best unpublished novel for the year 2017.)
Posljednja knjiga koju sam uredio je Druga derivacija. (Translated: "The last book I edited was Second Derivative.")
Ove godine, Baran je izdao i šestu za redom knjigu Gospodin August (translated: "This year, Baran has published his sixth book in a row, Monsieur August")
Do sada je objavio tetralogiju epske fantastike "Ciklus Crnih Knjiga", filozofski roman Samuel Gide i dva filozofsko-avangardna romana: "Gospodin August" (Translated: "So far he has published an epic fantasy tetralogy The Black Books Cycle, philosophical novel Samuel Gide and two philosophical-avant-garde novels, Monsieur August and The Great Fall")
"Dovoljno je reći kako je nedavno objavio svoju sedmu knjigu, filozofsko-avangardni roman naslovljen "Veliki pad" (Translated: "Suffice it to say that he recently published his seventh book, a philosophical-avant-garde novel titled "The Great Fall")
... pa sam se tako zaljubio u Pratchetta, Tolkiena, Pullmana, Paolinija, Rowling, Kaya, Pylea i t. d." (Translated: "so I fell in love with Pratchett, Tolkien, Pullman, Paolini, Rowling, Kay, Pyle, etc.
U prethodnim intervjuima, Baran kao glavne uzore navodi Tada Williamsa, Christophera Paolinija, Terryja Prattchetta, Howarda Pylea, Joea Abercrombiea, J.R.R. Tolkiena, Philipa Pullmana, Fjodora Dostojevskog, Lava Tolstoja, Marcela Prousta i Voltairea...", (Translated: "In previous interviews, Baran has cited Tad Williams, Christopher Paolini, Terry Pratchett, Howard Pyle, Joe Abercrombie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Philip Pullman, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Marcel Proust, and Voltaire as his main role models.
Na sve to Ivan je odgovorio da je fantastiku prestao čitati onda kada ju je počeo pisati. (Translated: "To which Ivan replied that he stopped reading fantasy genre when he started to write it.")
"Danas čitam klasike i filozofiju najviše, tek tu i tamo otvarajući povijesno pertinentne knjige..." (Translate: "Today I read the classics and philosophy mostly, only occasionally opening historically pertinent books...")
Ali ako govorimo o književnicima koji su mi uzor, tada govorimo o Dostojevskom, Tolstoju, Krleži, Proustu... (Translated: "But if we speak about writers to whom I've looked up to, then we speak about Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Krleža, Proust...")
"Zavolio sam na prvi pogled Alighierija, Dostojevskog, Krležu, Hessea, Camusa, Tolstoja, Gidea, Becketta, Nietzschea itd. Upravo ti pisci, koji su samo dio poduže liste, činili su glavni utjecaj..." (Translated: "I fell in love at first sight with Alighieri, Dostoevsky, Krleža, Hesse, Camus, Tolstoy, Gide, Beckett, Nietzsche, etc. It was these writers, who are only part of a long list, who were the main influence...")
"Zavolio sam na prvi pogled (...) Camusa (...) Upravo ti pisci, koji su samo dio poduže liste, činili su glavni utjecaj..." (Translated: "I fell in love at first sight with (...) Camus (...). It was these writers, who are only part of a long list, who were the main influence...")
"Na strukturu su utjecali (...) Nietzsche, Schopehnauer…" (translated: "The structure was influenced by (...) Nietzsche, Schopehnauer...")
"Ove poveznice koje ću nabaciti duboko su subjektivan doživljaj, ali osjećaj pri čitanju mi se svidio jer sam imala dojam da čitam neki klasik, a atmosferu sam si definirala najbliže onome da je poput čitanja neke knjige Oscara Wildea i Süskindovog Parfema." (Translated: "These links that I will throw in are a deeply subjective experience, but I liked the feeling while reading it because I had the impression that I was reading a classic, and I defined the atmosphere as being closest to reading a book by Oscar Wilde or Süskind's Perfume.)
Enzolart ima dosta fantasy klišeja i po meni, previše likova. Neki dijalozi su previše jednostavni. S druge strane, baš kad pomislite da čitate jednostavnu fantastiku, naiđete na promišljanja i dubine koje od djeteta ne očekujete, a možda vas i uplaše. Enzolart je brz, lagan, opuštajući kao fantastika, s ne previše pogrešaka." (Translated: "Enzolart has a lot of fantasy clichés and, in my opinion, too many characters. Some dialogues are too simple. On the other hand, just when you think you're reading simple fantasy, you come across reflections and depths that you don't expect from a child, and maybe even scare you. Enzolart is fast, light, relaxing as a fantasy, with not too many mistakes.
Enzolart ima dosta fantasy klišeja i po meni, previše likova. Neki dijalozi su previše jednostavni. S druge strane, baš kad pomislite da čitate jednostavnu fantastiku, naiđete na promišljanja i dubine koje od djeteta ne očekujete, a možda vas i uplaše. Enzolart je brz, lagan, opuštajući kao fantastika, s ne previše pogrešaka." (Translated: "Enzolart has a lot of fantasy clichés and, in my opinion, too many characters. Some dialogues are too simple. On the other hand, just when you think you're reading simple fantasy, you come across reflections and depths that you don't expect from a child, and maybe even scare you. Enzolart is fast, light, relaxing as a fantasy, with not too many mistakes.
"Mord Dur'agemski, pokazao mi se kao pravi dragulj književnosti. Impresivna duologija sa 760 stranica iznenadila me stilom, strukturom i originalnošću. Stil pisanja me na trenutke podsjeća na Tolstoja. " (Translated: "Mord Dur'agemski proved to me to be a real gem of literature. The impressive duology with 760 pages surprised me with its style, structure and originality. The writing style reminds me of Tolstoy at times.")
Knjigama bi doduše dobro došlo još jedno uređivanje, ali to ne umanjuje djelo kao cjelinu. Priča je kompleksna, opisi su detaljni ali ne pretjerani, a psihologija, uz epsku strukturu, možda je temelj cijelog djela. (Translated: "The books could use some more editing, but that doesn't detract from the work as a whole. The story is complex, the descriptions are detailed but not excessive, and psychology, along with the epic structure, is perhaps the foundation of the entire work.")
Ciklus Crnih Knjiga bih nazvala intenzivnim. Svakog lika nešto muči, uvijek su zamišljeni, puno je filozofiranja (pa i ozbiljne filozofije). Lako zaboravite da čitate fantastiku, a ne neku mračnu knjigu realizma iz 19. stoljeća. (Translated: "I would call the Black Books Cycle intense. Each character is troubled by something, they are always lost in thought, there is a lot of philosophizing (and even serious philosophy). It's easy to forget that you are reading fantasy, not some dark book of 19th century realism."
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)"U četvrtak, 5.6.2025. godine s početkom u 12,00 sati, na Odjelu za mlade Spajalica, održati će se javno predavanje i projekcija animiranog filma epske fantastike ENZOLART, Ivana Barana" (Translated: "On Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Spajalica Youth Department, starting at 12:00, a public lecture and screening of the animated epic fantasy film ENZOLART, by Ivan Baran, will be held.")
Film sam stvarao 5 mjeseci, naslovljen je Enzolart, a u pitanju je amaterski animirani film (...) sa zvučnim efektima, glazbom i naracijom iz moje knjige Enzolart. Baran dodaje da film traje 37 minuta..." (Translated: "I made the film over the period of 5 months, it's called Enzolart, and it's amateur animated film (...) with sound effects, music and narration from my book Enzolart. Baran adds that the film lasts 37 minutes...
U četvrtak, 5. lipnja, u 12 sati na Odjelu za mlade "Spajalica" Gradske knjižnice Vukovar bit će održano javno predavanje i projekcija animiranog filma epske fantastike "Enzolart" Ivana Barana" (Translated: "On Thursday, June 5, at noon, a public lecture and screening of the animated epic fantasy film "Enzolart" by Ivan Baran will be held at the "Spajalica" Youth Department of the Vukovar town Library
poslije čega sam potpisao ugovor s firmom Digital Gods da se od knjige Enzolart kreira istoimena ARPG video igrica." (Translated: "after which I signed a contract with the company Digital Gods to create an ARPG videogame based on Enzolart book, with the same name.
Uz projekciju filma Baran je predstavio i video igricu "Enzolart" koja je također nastala po istoimenoj knjizi. (translated: "Along with the screening of the film, Baran also presented the video game "Enzolart", which was also based on the book of the same name.")
Osim filma, publici su predstavljeni i istoimena knjiga te videoigrica." (Translated: "In addition to the film, the audience was also presented with a book of the same name and a video game.
(...) živim u Vukovaru i pišem knjige. Živim pokraj šume, daleko od najbližih susjeda. (Translated: "(...) I live in Vukovar and write books. I live near forest, far from nearest neighbors."
"Pišem svaki dan već 9 godina. 6 sati dnevno." (Translated: "I write every day for 9 years already. 6 hours a day.")
"gledam na sebe kao na građanina svemira i uopće na svemir koji promatra samoga sebe (...) Gledam na sebe kao na čovječanstvo" (Translated: ""I see myself as a citizen of the universe and in general as the universe observing itself (...) I see myself as humanity")
Bez kave ne pišem. Pijem trenutno oko četiri šalice dnevno. Alkohol i cigarete u životu nisam probao, kao ni drogu. (translated: "Without coffee I don't write. I drink about four cups per day. Alcohol and cigarettes I've never tries in my life, nor drugs.")
U više navrata ste napomenuli da ste samouki. (...) (Translated: "In quite a few cases you've stated that you're an autodidact."), - "Težnja za autodidaktizmom, sada u retrospekciji mi izgleda, u meni se probudila onda kad sam naučio čitati." ("A need for autodidactism, now in retrospection it seems to me, awakened in me when I learned to read."), "Autodidaktizam je veoma dosadan i dug proces, ali danas je biti neuk stvar izbora." (Translated: "Autodidactism is very boring and long process, but today, to be unlearned is a matter of choice.")