Drama based on Krasznahorkai's novel premieres in a Split substation
Director Ivica Buljan staged the novel of Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai in the space of Split's Dujmovača, with a strong ensemble of Split's theatre.
Director Ivica Buljan staged the novel of Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai in the space of Split's Dujmovača, with a strong ensemble of Split's theatre.
In the abandoned substation of Split's Dujmovača on Wednesday evening, the drama 'Herscht 07769' directed by Ivica Buljan premiered, the central drama event of the 72nd Split Summer. The play is based on the novel of the same name by Hungarian Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, published in Croatian in 2025 in a translation by Xenija Detoni and published by Naklada OceanMore, according to reports from HRT and Slobodna Dalmacija.
Krasznahorkai's novel brings a disturbing vision of contemporary Europe. The story is set in the imaginary German town of Kana in Thuringia, and the tale of rising extremism, social isolation, and ideological divisions is easily recognizable in many European settings.
Director Ivica Buljan explained the main storyline. "The main character Florian, who is on the spectrum of autism, understands quantum physics and suddenly realizes that destruction threatens us; on the other hand, in a town that initially lives idyllicly, he is surrounded by a neo-Nazi group and year after year sinks deeper and deeper into the chaos of threat," Buljan told HRT Magazine.
The novel, which numbers 500 pages and is written almost in a single sentence, presented a major dramaturgical challenge. Dramaturg Ivan Penović admits it was one of the most demanding jobs of his career. "It was demanding. It is a layered novel. Whole series could be made from it, yet it needed to be performed in a few hours," Buljan added. Despite the short rehearsal period of only one month and six days, the ensemble succeeded, according to actor Stipe Jelaska: "We only had one month and six days for rehearsals, but we managed it," said Jelaska, who plays the title character Florian Herscht.
On stage, alongside Jelaska and Marko Mandić in the role of Boss, were also Monika Vuco Carev, Andrijana Vicković, Tajana Jovanović, Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov, Bruna Bebić, and other members of Split's theatre. Mandić told HRT: "It was great for me, especially because I worked with such a powerful ensemble."
Director Buljan did not hide his enthusiasm for the performance power of the entire team. "It is a great pleasure to work with an ensemble that is ready, both performatively, intellectually, and technically, to tackle such complex material. Such capacity is rare even at major European festivals. It is precisely such projects that push the boundaries of theatre art and confirm the value of our theatre," Buljan emphasized in a statement to Slobodna Dalmacija.
The creative team, in addition to Buljan and Penović, includes Robert Waltl as artistic collaborator and dramaturg, set designer Aleksandar Denić, costume designer Ana Savić Gecan, light designer Srđan Barbarić, music composer Lukša Vučić, assistant director Jakov Tralić, and stage manager Sonja Dvornik.
The choice of location, the abandoned substation, once an architectural gem, further emphasized the social message of the play about the relationship to heritage and the decay of values. According to Slobodna Dalmacija, the audience received the premiere excellently from the very first moment, confirming that it is one of the most anticipated theatre events of this year's Split Summer.
