Marina Čapalija

Marina Čapalija is a Croatian poet born in 1965 on the island of Veli Drvenik in Dalmatia, Croatia. She graduated with a degree in Croatian Language and Literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zadar and currently resides and works in Split. Best known in Croatian literature for her poetry written in the Čakavian dialect of her native island, she made her literary debut in 1995 with the poetry collection Škoj o’ driva. Over the years, she has published numerous acclaimed collections including Paver sriće, Umorena moren, Lemozina srca, Prtin pute i gren, Jazikun tîc, Drivo brez škoja, and Sve ča je san, with her 2003 collection Prtin pute i gren earning a nomination for the prestigious Tin Ujević Poetry Award. In addition to poetry, she has contributed to children’s literature with her 2011 book Zloćun Pločun – priče o djevojčicama i oblaku and published an autobiographical prose work, (S)ričući, in 2015. To preserve and promote the literary heritage of her native island, she established the publishing series Biblioteka Drveniški libri in 2002, and her works continue to be featured in various literary journals, anthologies, and cultural events across Croatia.