Diljem doma: zapisci i priče

Around the Home: Notes and Stories is a book by the Croatian realist writer Ksaver Šandor Gjalski (born Ljubomil Tito Josip Franjo Babić, 1854–1935), published in 1899. The work belongs to the author's mature phase of creativity and continues the thematic circle of his most famous works such as Under Old Roofs, In the New Court and On Your Own Breast.

The collection contains a series of shorter prose notes, sketches and stories in which Gjalski skillfully depicts the life of Croatian Zagorje and the wider homeland at the end of the 19th century. The main themes are the decline of the old nobility, changes in social relations, rural and country life, the psychology of the characters and subtle depictions of nature and the atmosphere of Zagorje manors. The writer, with realistic precision and a slight lyrical note, depicts the declining nobility, peasants, intellectuals and ordinary people, often with an emphasis on social contrasts, moral dilemmas and a nostalgic view of the past.

The style is characteristic of Gjalski: poetic realism with rich descriptions of interiors, landscapes and the inner world of the characters. The language is polished, literary, with dialectal elements that add authenticity. The work reflects the author's deep knowledge of the Zagorje milieu (he himself was of noble lineage from Gredice near Zabok) and his critical, but sympathetic attitude towards Croatian social reality during the time of Austro-Hungarian domination.

Around the Home is considered one of Gjalski's representative collections of short prose and an important part of Croatian realistic literature. Today, the original edition from 1899 is a sought-after antiquarian rarity, especially copies in good condition with preserved covers. The book has high bibliographical and collector's value for lovers of 19th-century Croatian literature and researchers of Gjalski's oeuvre.