''Dundo Maroje'' (Uncle Maroje) is a comedy by

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n playwright

Marin Držić Marin Držić (; also ''Marino Darza'' or ''Marino Darsa''; 1508 – 2 May 1567) was a Croatian writer from Republic of Ragusa. He is considered to be one of the finest Renaissance playwrights and prose writers of Croatian literature. Li ...

. Dealing with the misunderstandings between the older and newer generations during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, the comedy is considered a staple in Croatian theatre, and one of the greatest Croatian-language literary works.

Background

It is said to have been first performed in 1551 in the main hall of the Grand Council of the

Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...

by the company ''Pomet''. Taking place in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with characters from

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

, the play consists of two prologues and five acts, from which the ending did not survive.

Critical plaudits

George Thomas, a professor at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

wrote that it is the author's "best-known work" and "the most enduring work in the history of Croatian drama". Renato Kragić of ''

Slobodna Dalmacija (, where "Free" is an adjective) is a Croatian daily newspaper published in Split. History was first issued on 17 June 1943 by Tito's Partisans in an abandoned stone barn on Mosor, a mountain near Split, while the city was occupied by the I ...

'' describes ''Dundo Maroje'' as "among the top of dramatic literature in Croatian" and that "should be in the pantheon of European Renaissance literature" Ante Kadić wrote in ''Slavic Review'' about ''Dundo Maroje'' being Držić's main work. (need detail inside this book)

Notable adaptations and presentations

In 2008,

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is an international body representing the interests of people who rely on Library, libraries and information professionals. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organizati ...

(IFLA) reported that ''Dundo Maroje'' had been translated to 18 languages. In 2011, the Gavella Drama Theatre presented its version of ''Dundo Maroje''. It was directed by Marco Sciaccaluga and starred Žarko Savić,

Amar Bukvić Amar Bukvić (born June 10, 1981) is a Croatian actor of Bosniak descent.Biography
He is famous for his work ...

Ozren Grabarić Ozren Grabarić (born 17 July 1980) is a Croatian actor. Filmography Film Television Voice-over roles References External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grabarić, Ozren 1980 births 20th-century Croatian actors 21st-century Croatian ac ...

Živko Anočić Živko Anočić (born 13 May 1981) is a Croatian male actor. He appeared in more than fifteen films since 2005. Filmography Film Voice acting References External links

* 1981 births Living people Actors from Osijek Croatian male ...

Franjo Dijak Franjo Dijak (born 2 June 1977) is a Croatian actor. He appeared in more than twenty films since 1997. Dijak provides the voice of Po in the Croatian dub of the entire Kung Fu Panda franchise. Selected filmography References External l ...

Sven Medvešek Sven Medvešek (born 1965) is a Croatian actor and director. Establishing himself as both a leading man and character actor, Medvešek's best-known film roles include Lukas in ''Slow Surrender'' (2001), Rafael in '' Winter in Rio'' (2002), Marin ...

, Zoran Gogić and

Sven Šestak Sven Šestak (born 11 March 1974 in Koprivnica) is a Croatian actor. He is known for his role as Duško in the cult comedy series ''Zakon!'' and for his active and critically acclaimed stage career in the Gavella Drama Theatre in Zagreb. Biogr ...

. In March 2018, Filip Krenus and a group of actors did a reading of the play as translated by his team in English at

Conway Hall Conway Hall in Red Lion Square, London, is the headquarters of the Conway Hall Ethical Society. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned by the South Place Ethical Society, which had previously been accommodated ...

in London for the 450th anniversary of Držić's death. In November 2018, an English-translated performance of the play took place at the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dundo Maroje Croatian plays 1550 works 1550s plays