Drame

This volume provides a more complete insight into Nehajev's work, which connects prose and drama through the same motifs: escape from reality, the loneliness of a sensitive soul, and criticism of petty-bourgeois society

Prielom and Svjećica, early one-act plays performed as early as 1898 at the Croatian National Theatre (when the author was only eighteen years old), bring the freshness of his first encounter with the stage. In them, Nehajev's sense of internal conflict, generational change, and the collision of ideals with harsh reality can already be seen.

Život and Savior deepen the psychological portraits of the characters. Here, Nehajev explores the themes of the meaning of existence, human weakness, the search for purpose, and the illusion of redemption in a rapidly changing world. The play Savior is particularly interesting because the author himself directed it at its premiere in 1916, bringing an authentic insight into his own vision of theatrical expression.

The Bench in the Moonlight (1928), a comic drama with a serious undertone, represents the pinnacle of Nehajev's dramatic work. The action is set in a theatrical setting, where the author, with irony and warmth, depicts artistic destinies, vanity, illusions and small human dramas behind the scenes. This drama shines with subtle humor, knowledge of theatrical life and a deep understanding of human nature – motifs that run through Nehajev's entire oeuvre.

Nehajev's dramas are not lush historical frescoes, but intimate character studies and inner fractures. Influenced by European modernism (Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov), the author combines psychological sharpness with the Croatian context – the provincial and Zagreb ambience, intellectual turmoil and the feeling of loneliness of a sensitive individual in contemporary society. With elegant dialogues and subtle lyricism, he creates an atmosphere in which external conflicts merge with internal crises.

The volume provides a valuable insight into a lesser-known, but important part of Nehajev's work – the dramatic one, which complements his novels and short stories and testifies to the wealth of one of the most versatile authors of Croatian modernity.