
Na zelenom otoku: Putopis iz Irske
"On the Green Island" by Josip Andrić (1932, 2nd ed. 1934) is a travelogue from Ireland. A lively and warm description of Irish nature, history, culture and people, full of sympathy for the small Catholic nation and its fight for freedom. Illustrated edit
On the Green Island – A Travelogue from Ireland is a book by the Croatian writer, composer, musicologist and polymath Josip Andrić (1894–1967). The first edition was published in 1932, and the second, supplemented and illustrated edition in 1934 in Zagreb (the author's own publication). Andrić was the long-time editor-in-chief of the Croatian Literary Society of St. Jerome and a prolific travel writer.
The book was written after Andrić's personal journey through Ireland, which he affectionately calls the Green Island. It provides vivid descriptions of the lush Irish nature (green fields, rocks, oceans and misty landscapes), historical monuments, monasteries, castles and the everyday life and character of the Irish people. It pays special attention to the Irish struggle for independence, the Catholic faith, folk music, folklore and literature.
Andrić often compares the Irish fate with the Croatian – two small European nations that suffered for centuries under foreign rule, yet managed to preserve their identity, language and religion. The style is warm, essayistic and anecdotal, full of cultural and historical digressions, which makes the book very readable and attractive.
The work belongs to a series of Andrić's travelogues (along with In Christ's Homeland, The Most Beautiful Among the Islands, etc.) and reflects his Catholic worldview and interest in the small nations of Europe.
Today, this edition is a sought-after antiquarian rarity, especially the second illustrated edition with the original cover and photographs. It is valuable for collectors of Croatian travel literature, lovers of Ireland and researchers of interwar Croatian literature and cultural parallels between small European nations. It is one of the most beautiful Croatian travelogues about Ireland in the 20th century.
One copy is available
- Library stamp
- Stains on cover





