Mi, djeca Solferina
Maroje Mihovilović, a Croatian journalist and writer, creates a fascinating, true family saga in his novel We, the Children of Solferino that follows five generations of the Mihovilović-Vukelić family from the end of the 17th century to the turbulent 20th
The title comes from the Battle of Solferino in 1859, where modern wars were born, and the family story symbolizes sacrifices and heroism in the maelstrom of history.
The chronicle begins in Gornji Lapac, where ancestors – peasants and merchants – faced the Ottoman and Habsburg conflicts. Through two centuries and four continents (Europe, America, Asia, Africa), Mihovilović dissects destinies: emigration, love, prisons, ideals and farewells. The key characters are Vilma Vukelić, a brave woman who survives wars and prisons, and her sons – journalists and fighters – who influence the outcome of World War II, collaborating with anti-fascists and partisans.
The book is not just a private story, but is embedded in a broader context: from the Napoleonic Wars, through World War I and revolutions, to the Cold War and Yugoslav socialism. The author, Vilma's grandson, uses archival documents, letters and undelivered messages to reconstruct, mixing journalistic precision with literary flair – like a thriller full of tension, longing and sacrifice.
The themes are universal: courage in the face of violence, family solidarity in exile, the impact of big events on small lives. Mihovilović warns against forgetting: "In socialism, you were not allowed to touch Tito and Stalin, but the family truth reveals the wound." This saga, praised as a "fascinating chronicle", reminds us that history was written by ordinary people – the children of Solferino – whose traces struggle to come to light.
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