Graditelji života

Builders of Life is a collection of poetry published by Marin Franičević (1911–1990) in 1950. The book was illustrated and furnished by the young Edo Murtić, which gives it a special artistic value – Murtić's illustrations in the spirit of socialist realism and early modernism perfectly accompany Franičević's poetry.

The collection belongs to Franičević's post-war, socially engaged period. The poems are imbued with revolutionary enthusiasm, celebrating the NOB, the partisan struggle and the construction of socialism. Franičević sings about workers, peasants, builders of railways and factories, about a new man and a new society being born from the ruins of war. The motifs are typical of that time: work as creativity, the collective strength of the people, brotherhood and unity, hope for a better future.

Stylistically, Franičević moves between the pathos of socialist realism and lyrical warmth, often using the Chakavian expression and motifs of his native Hvar. The collection exudes optimism and faith in progress, which was characteristic of Croatian literature immediately after the war. At the time, it was received positively by critics as a successful example of engaged poetry serving social construction.

Today, Builders of Life is read primarily as an important document of socialist realism literature in Croatia and as a testimony to the spirit of the era from 1945 to 1955. The collection is rare and sought after among collectors precisely because of Murtić's illustrations and the typical atmosphere of early socialist realism. It represents a significant part of Franičević's oeuvre, along with his later, more lyrical collections.