Dorta Jagić

- Croatia -

Dorta Jagić (1974), graduated from the Jesuit Philosophy University in Zagreb with a degree in philosophy and religious culture. She made her poetic debut in 1999 with the book Plahta preko glave (Head Under the Sheets), which won a distinguished national award, the Goran Award For Young Poets. She is an author of six poetry collections and four short stories volumes, and author of unusual biblical dictionary Mali rječnik biblijskih žena (Small dictionary of biblical women), 2013.

Jagić has had her poetry, travelogues, essays and short stories, published in various Croatian and foreign anthologies and magazines (lyrikline, Manuskripte, Trafika Europe, Arquitrave, etc.), and some of her poetry and short stories has been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Catalan, Czek, Turkish, Slovakian, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, Romanian, Bulgarian, etc.  Two of her poetry books are translated into Polish (Kanape na rynku), and Slovakian (Vysoké cé).


Dorta Jagić’s poems are the affirmation of the female freedom, her not giving in when it comes to the body and the feelings or social, political and historical determinism. These poems conjoin particular experience of existence and the universal values. One of the distinctive features of her poetry is the creation of a different function for the metaphor. In her poetry, that prominent, and in contemporary poetry, frequently worn out figure of speech is transformed into the main framework for the entire poem. 

Poet and critic Zvonimir Mrkonjić simply wrote, “The most appropriate thing to say about Dorta Jagić would be to hail: We have a poet!” Austrian critic Birgit Polzl said, “Jagić's stories and poems handle theme of decay, passing, with ease that get under your skin.”

Croatian poet and critic Tonko Maroević  writes, “The poetry of Dorta Jagić would attract readers that do not have a prejudice toward poetry, and it holds the potential to reassure those doubters who think that contemporary poetry is inevitably dull and pretentious.” For last few years, she has been involved in performances and projects with blending poetry, dance and visual art. 

Jagić received two international awards, The Balkan Grand Prize for Poetry, Romania, 2007, and European Poet of Freedom Award, Poland, 2014, for her poetry book Kauč na trgu  (The Sofa at Square).  She held two international fellowships as writer-in-residence, in Graz (Austria) 2010, and Ljubljana (Slovenia) 2012.

Since 1999, she has worked as a theatre teacher as well as a director in many student theatre companies. She lives in Zagreb, Croatia, as a freelance writer, translator and teacher of poetry writing.