Rusvaj i druge novele

Josip Crepić Aurel (Trnjani near Slavonski Brod, 1890 – Đakovo, 1940) was a Slavonian storyteller, teacher and native writer. In this collection, he brings realistic images from the life of Slavonia, especially the Đakovo region and surrounding villages.

The stories are imbued with knowledge of the rural mentality, customs, speech and everyday problems of the common man. The title story Rusvaj and the other short stories depict the dramas of ordinary people – conflicts of interest, family disagreements, love affairs, poverty and the influence of tradition on the individual.

Crepić writes in simple, lively language, with a pronounced regional color and mild humor, but also with understanding for human weaknesses and suffering. His prose belongs to the circle of Slavonian realistic literature at the beginning of the 20th century, close to writers such as Kozarac or Ivo Ćipik, but with a more intimate, local approach.

The collection was well received in Slavonian literary circles and is considered an important part of regional literature. Crepić later published another collection – Batalija (1924), and his stories were later included in the Slavonian prose selections.

This Osijek edition from 1918 is today a rare antiquarian copy, sought after among collectors of Slavonian literature. It represents an authentic testimony of life in Slavonia on the eve and immediately after the First World War, written from the perspective of a local author who knows his region well.