Pakao

Miro Glavurtić (1932–2023), a Croatian painter, writer, mystic and publisher, published the book Hell in 1986 in his own publishing house in Belgrade. The work is a kind of continuation and addition to his earlier book Satan: an introduction to demonology (1978).

Hell is a Christian-spiritual book that deals with the topic of hell, demonic forces, temptations, possessions and the afterlife from a Catholic-mystical perspective. In it, Glavurtić combines biblical texts, the writings of the Church Fathers, the experiences of saints and mystics, and his own visions and thoughts. The book has a distinctly warning and evangelistic tone — the author wants to awaken modern man from his spiritual indifference and warn him of the reality of evil and eternal punishment.

The style is essayistic-mystical, in places apocalyptic and visionary, in accordance with the author's painting work (fantastic-surreal motifs) and belonging to the Medial circle. The book contains quotes from Holy Scripture, the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, mystics and descriptions of visions of hell from Catholic tradition. It is illustrated with reproductions of classical works of art (e.g. Gustave Doré, Hans Memling).

In the context of Glavurtić's oeuvre, Hell belongs to his spiritual and demonological cycle. The author was deeply faithful to the Catholic tradition, critical of modernism, secularization and communism. As an independent publisher (later the founder of the Sion publishing house), he published the works of Christian mystics and promoted Catholic renewal.

Today, the book is considered part of the rare Croatian demonological and mystical literature of the 20th century. It is sought after among readers of spiritual literature, although it is sometimes considered controversial due to its direct and strictly traditional approach to the subject of hell and the devil. An interesting blend of artistic sensibility, mystical experience, and Catholic orthodoxy in a contemporary context.