With his compassionate understanding of ethical turmoil in the life of ordinary men and his aspiration to search for a connection between the individual and society, Ivan Aralica is widely regarded as the greatest living writer in Croatian literature. In a writing career that has spanned more than thirty years he has written thirteen novels and three volumes of short stories as well as three collections of political essays and analyses. Aralica's career can be traced from the days when his books were appreciated only as the work of a regional author, until he gained wide acceptance from critics and readers, as the most widely read contemporary writer in Croatia.

Aralica was born on 10 September 1930, the son of Filip and Pera Aralica. Born in Promina, the part of Dalmatinska Zagora, young Aralica attended elementary school in his native village of Puljani. He left Puljani for Drnis and Knin...