Mandorlato

Đuro Vilović (1889–1958), one of the most widely read, but also most controversial Croatian writers of the interwar period, published Mandorlato in 1924 in Zagreb. The book belongs to his early novel collections, along with Zagaljene živote (1923) and later Hrvatski sjever i jug (1930).

The title Mandorlato (Italian for almond cake/drink) suggests a bittersweet, exotic or sensual atmosphere, which is in line with Vilović's style, which often combines erotic, psychological and social motifs. The collection contains several short stories that depict human passions, internal conflicts, love and social dramas, often with an autobiographical overtone. Vilović, a former Catholic priest who left the profession, often deals with themes of forbidden love, the hypocrisy of civil morality, sexuality and the conflict of the individual with his environment.

Stylistically, the work moves between realism and psychological prose with naturalistic and fin-de-siècle elements. Vilović writes in a lively, accessible language, often with an emphasis on emotional crises and social criticism, which brought him great popularity with the audience, but also harsh criticism from conservative circles (especially because of the anticlerical motifs in other works). Mandorlato is one of his earlier works, written after leaving the priesthood, when the author intensively dealt with the themes of personal freedom and liberation from old norms.

In the broader context of Vilović's oeuvre, this collection precedes his more famous novels such as Međimurje (1923), Majstora duša (1931) and Tri sata (1935). Like most of his works from the 1920s, Mandorlato reflects the author's tumultuous biography — from rightist and Catholic priest to Yugoslav Unitarian — and his penchant for controversial, provocative topics.