Vesna Parun

Vesna Parun (; 10 April 1922 – 25 October 2010) was a Croatian poet. 'contrasts the youthful vibrancy, love and nature with death and the destructive forces of war'. It received negative reviews from the socialist-realist critics, who saw it as "apolitical" and "decadent", love was the primary motif of her written opus. Incessantly working on romantic lyrical poetry, from the 1960s on, she published satiric verses directed at politics and the erotic. She wrote more than 20 works for children alone, the most prominent and widely performed being Mačak Džingiskan i Miki Trasi. While in Bulgaria, she wrote poetry, conducted recitals, and forged friendships with some of the country's most renowned poets and intellectuals, like Radoy Ralin, Blaga Dimitrova, and Vanya Petkova, and remains a prominent name in Bulgaria to this day.

Selected works Parun's other significant works include: Vidrama vjerna (1957) Patka Zlatka (1957) Ti i nikad (1959) Konjanik (1961) Otvorena vrata (1968) Ukleti dažd (1969) Stid me je umrijeti (1974) Igre pred oluju (1979) Šum krila, šum vode (1981) Salto mortale (1981) Pokraj rijeke Kupe kad se vrapci skupe (1989) Nedovršeni mozaik (1990) Ptica vremena (1996) Smijeh od smrti jači (1997) Mozak u torbi (2001) More jadransko (2001) Noć za pakost: moj život u 40 vreća (2001) Da sam brod (2002) Suze putuju (2002)

Awards 1959 – Poet of the Year Award 1982 – Vladimir Nazor Award for the lifetime achievement 1995 – Poeta Oliveatus at the "Croatia rediviva: Ča, Kaj, Što – baštinski dani" festival. 2002 – Visoka žuta žita charter at the Poet Meetings in Drenovci for her overall literary opus and abiding contribution to the Croatian literature 2003 – Tin Ujević Award, for the collection of sonnets Suze putuju 2010 – European Award – Knjizevna opstina Vrsac (Literary Municipality of Vrsac)