Lijepi običaji: Pogovori

In her afterwords, Julijana Matanović does not remain on a neutral, objective level – she introduces personality, subjectivity and an intimate relationship to the text, which makes her a pioneer of "personal criticism" in Croatian literature. Talking about other people's books also becomes talking about oneself, one's own experiences, memories and values. The style is warm, empathetic, sometimes lyrical, with an emphasis on the emotional and ethical dimension of literature.

The book includes afterwords to the works of the following authors (according to available data and subject headings):

• Nedjeljko Fabrio ("Berenik's Hair"),
• Viktor Vida ("The Unlocked Chest"),
• Vinko Bogišić (pseudocritics),
• Theresia Moho (childhood and fate of the Folksdeutscher),
• other contemporary prose writers (historical prose, autobiography, intimate prose).

The author deals with the themes of contemporary Croatian prose: historical novel, autobiography, the fate of the individual in turbulent times (e.g. the post-war fate of Germans in Croatia), identity, memory, the female voice and ethical issues of literature. She particularly emphasizes the importance of "beautiful customs" of reading and writing - a subtle, humane approach to the text that does not judge, but understands and reveals.

The conversations are of a peculiar temperature: a combination of erudition, personal confession and literary analysis. Matanović praises the power of storytelling, the authenticity of the voice, the opposition to stereotypes and the ability of literature to heal the traumas of the past.

The book is an important contribution to Croatian literary essayism of the 90s and 2000s - a document of a critic who sees literature as a dialogue of souls, and the conversation as an intimate but public act of gratitude to the writer and the reader.