These stories show the problems of Croatian everyday life in the 19th century - the disintegration of traditional Slavonian village life, the disappearance of rural cooperatives, the sale of land to foreigners, the departure of peasants to the city.
"Between Light and Darkness" is a short story by Josip Kozarac in which the author depicts a person's inner struggle between moral values (light) and weakness, temptation, and wrong decisions (darkness).
"Tales from Long Ago" is Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić's most famous work, translated into about forty languages. With them, Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić gained worldwide fame, was nominated twice for the Andersen Award, and has since been called the Croatian Andersen.
The work brings together a gallery of colorful characters – family members, village neighbors, teachers, friends – who shape Ćopić's childish view of the world.
The novel belongs to the children's historical novel genre with a theme from the second half of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century in Dalmatia.