Majstor duša

Don Lovro Veslarić, young, handsome and energetic, is sent to a seaside village to calm down conflicts among the parishioners. He quickly conquers the village with his charisma, but soon proves to be a complex, egotistical personality who is more dedicated to winning women than to spiritual work. The situation escalates with the arrival of his teacher Maja, with whom Don Lovro has a child, which leads to a deep crisis of conscience, hypocrisy and conflict between the Church, the village and his own humanity.

Vilović, himself a former priest and apostate, wrote a novel with autobiographical elements and a sharp criticism of hypocrisy in church circles and patriarchal society. Upon publication, the novel caused a huge storm – Catholic criticism fiercely attacked it, while others praised it as a brave and truthful portrayal.

Master of Souls is a powerful psychological novel with pronounced naturalistic and realistic features, rich descriptions of the Dalmatian village and deep insight into the main character's inner conflicts. Today it is appreciated as a significant, albeit forgotten, work of 20th-century Croatian literature that addresses the themes of faith, sexuality, power, and moral responsibility.