Dubravka Ugrešić (1949-2023)

[Verkhovensky]

Croatian-Dutch writer died today, March 17, 2023 in Amsterdam surrounded by friends and family. More details to follow.

 

[Liam]

Another perennial Nobel candidate gone, ?

 

[alik-vit]

Oh, it's such terrible news. She was great writer. Such witty and precise mind. RiP.

 

[Liam]

Did they say what she died OF? I mean, 74 is not that old in this day and age, especially in such an affluent country as the Netherlands.

 

[Benny Profane]

Did they say what she died OF? I mean, 74 is not that old in this day and age, especially in such an affluent country as the Netherlands.

What a birthday's gift for me!!!! I have no words about this!!

Well, I'd like to do no conjectures and I hope I'm wrong, but if she passed "surrounded by her family and friends", she should be stricken by a terminal or a serious disease then.
I hope she had been assisting by them.
RIP...

 

[hayden]

Wasn’t expecting this at all. Although I thought she was in her late 60s, everyone here is right - 73 still feels too young nowadays. A loss of a strong voice against war and nationalism.

 

[Verkhovensky]

Did they say what she died OF? I mean, 74 is not that old in this day and age, especially in such an affluent country as the Netherlands.

Media now use the phrase "a short and severe illness" so that probably means some kind of rapid cancer.

 

[Ben Jackson]

My God!

My candidate for the Wolfie this year, one my favourite living writers. Her work is a mix of magic-realism and metafiction techniques recalling Modiano, Nabokov, Gogol and Daniill Kharms. She was discussed here in the Nobel thread last year (I remembered Morbid, Verkhovensky and myself's brilliant evaluation and recommendations). I was really hoping she would win the Nobel in few years time. So sad.

For those who haven't read her works, I recommend her masterpiece Museum of Unconditional Surrender, Ministry of Pain or her essay collection Thank You For Reading. Huge loss to literature.

 

[Morbid Swither]

Absolutely tragic news.

 

[Papageno]

This is incredibly sad ! I had hoped that she still had many years ahead of her. I am speechless. A loss of a great writer, a great advocate for peace and anti-nationalism, and a great human being.

Devastating. Life is not fair at all.

To Ben's great recommendations I would add Fording the Stream of Consciousness, a whirlwind literary satire.

 

[Benny Profane]

Croatian author Dubravka Ugresic dies in Amsterdam – DW – 03/17/2023

The Croatian author and essayist left her country in 1993 as Yugoslavia fractured into open conflict. The author of "Ministry of Pain," Ugresic wrote lyrically of the exile experience.

www.dw.com

I've found this obituary on Deutsch Welle website.

An interview with her (in English) with Portuguese (out of sync) subtitles. Her voice is so sweet...

 

[ministerpumpkin]

Another perennial Nobel candidate gone, ?

Don't worry, I'm sure she'll still be on the Ladbrokes odds this year.