Stare priče iz mog Osijeka

The book is a collection of memoirs and anecdotes in which the renowned surgeon and traumatologist Zvonimir Lovrić (born 1954 in Osijek) revives his hometown in the 1970s and 1980s.

In this book, Lovrić returns to his youthful love – writing. The stories are collected “from old papers” and bring back memories of Osijek’s streets, neighborhoods, school, friendships, first loves, family and everyday life in the city on the Drava River during the time of socialist Yugoslavia. He writes simply, warmly and with a lot of humor, drawing the reader in from the first sentence.

The foreword was written by his Osijek friend Miroslav Škoro, who points out: “In his profession, in life and in friendship, and also in war, he is, in Latin, in medias res. In short, that’s how he is when he writes. From the first sentence… the reader is inside. The reader has to be inside because there is simply no other option.”

Lovrić is a famous doctor – a specialist in general surgery and traumatology, a war surgeon in Osijek and the Special Police during the Homeland War, a long-time employee of the Dubrava Hospital, a professor and author of numerous professional papers and textbooks. This book is a complete departure from medicine and is a small literary monument to a city and a generation.

The stories are nostalgic, but not pathetic – full of life, local color and authentic Osijek spirit. Osijek residents recognize places and atmospheres, while others enjoy the universal themes of growing up and roots. Today, an antiquarian edition that preserves the memory of old Osijek – a city of trams, cinemas and simpler times – is in high demand.