Vedrana Rudan

Vedrana Rudan
Rudan in 2015
Born(1949-10-29)29 October 1949
Opatija, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Died18 August 2026(2026-08-18) (aged 76)
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • novelist
  • social commentator
SpouseLjubiša Drageljević
Children2
Writing career
Years active2002–2026
Websiterudan.info

Vedrana Rudan (29 October 1949 – 18 August 2026) was a Croatian journalist, novelist and social commentator. She authored seventeen books, including the novels Night (2002), Love at Last Sight (2003), and Mothers and Daughters (2010); her writing often provoked strong reactions from the public. As a social commentator, she was known for her direct and uncompromising style, which earned her mainstream popularity.[1]

Background

Vedrana Rudan was born in Opatija, Yugoslavia, in 1949 and raised in Mošćenička Draga. Through her father, a fisherman and a gardener, she had roots from Herzegovina. Through her mother, a kindergarten principal, she had roots from Lika. Her mother left her kindergarten job under pressure from her family, after which she suffered from depression and alcoholism, and was confined to a psychiatric hospital.[2]

In 1973, she graduated from the University of Rijeka's Teacher Training College with a degree in Croatian and German languages.[2] She worked as a teacher, tourist guide, a writer for several Croatian newspapers (Feral Tribune, Slobodna Dalmacija, Novi list, Jutarnji list),[3] and as a journalist for the state radio.

In 1991, she was fired from her job at Radio Rijeka for her criticism of President Franjo Tuđman.[4] After her husband was laid off from his job, they opened a real-estate agency.[5] She wrote for Nacional, Croatia's biggest newspaper, until 2011.[5][6]

From 2010 to 2015, she wrote about everyday themes on her very widely read blog called "How to Die Without Stress" ("Kako umrijeti bez stresa"). She stopped writing her blog on 21 August 2015 as "all that we write about is hatred. I do not know anymore where we are, whether we are in 2015, 1991 or 1941. There is still an active hunt on Serbs going on all wrapped up in a struggle for the right of the Croatian nation. Right for what? Hunger, misery, loans?"[7] Her last post "I Give Up" ("Odustajem") was read around 50,000 times.[8]

In 2017, she signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks, and Montenegrins.[9]

Literary career

Having lost her journalism job, Rudan began writing fiction. Her first novel, Night (Croatian: Uho, grlo, nož), came out in 2002. A plotless monologue by an embittered and unhappily married woman, Tonka Babić, it was well-received for its feminist theme and strident, furious voice.[10] Her second book, Love at Last Sight (Croatian: Ljubav na posljednji pogled; 2003), was a powerful plaint against marital abuse, written from her own experience of her first marriage. Rudan explained that she wrote it as a catharsis, and to encourage other women in the same position, but added that the trauma experienced by an abused woman could hardly be cured by one book.[11]

By the time of her fourth book, Crnci u Firenci (2006), Rudan had established herself as a polemicist and controversial author. The alternating points of view of the narrators, all members of an extended Rijeka household, were a new development in the complexity of Rudan's work, and the linked monologues were compared to the film American Beauty.[12] But while she was able to portray each of her narrators convincingly, there was little to distinguish between them.[13]

Rudan's next book, Kad je žena kurva / kad je muškarac peder (2007), was a compilation of columns originally published in the weekly Nacional. In them, she continued to deal with issues such as violence against women, machismo, imposed patterns of behaviour in traditional society, political corruption, and poverty. In 2014, the book was adapted for the stage as Kurva, directed by Zijah Sokolović, which was lauded as a mix of shocking, happy, tragic, bizarre and realistic tones, and captured Rudan's distinctive voice.[14]

In her 2010 book, Mothers and Daughters (Croatian: Dabogda te majka rodila), she turned her attention to the fraught relationship between mothers and daughters. Once again, this book was based on her own experience. She and her mother were not always as close as they might have been; she felt guilt and anguish when her mother died; and felt daily that her mother was still watching and judging her and finding her wanting.[11]

Controversies

Rudan had been accused of antisemitism twice. In a column in Nacional, she complained that Croatian Jews condemn some right-wing nationalists as fascists while condoning others who have close ties with Israel.[15] In 2009, Rudan made statements during International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Nova TV, comparing the situation in Gaza to the Holocaust. She was subsequently dismissed from further appearances in the network, for which she claimed the reason was that the owner of Nova TV, Ronald Lauder, belonged to the World Jewish Council.[16][17]

In 2011, Rudan was laid off from Nacional for calling the Catholic Church "a criminal organisation".[18]

Personal life and death

Rudan was married to Ljubiša Drageljević, a lawyer, and lived in Rijeka. She had a son and a daughter from her first marriage.[19][20][21] Rudan recounted the marital abuse from her first husband over fourteen years of marriage. She began her relationship with Drageljević while she was still married.[11]

"I want to say that there are a great many people who love me, and that I love them. And that I am immortal. Let them understand my death as leaving for an area with no reception."

— Vedrana Rudan, Nedjeljom u 2, 2 March 2025, as her final message to the public[22]

In May 2024, she stated she had been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma and that she was dying.[23] In March 2025 on Nedjeljom u 2, she told Aleksandar Stanković that she had begun the process of assisted suicide in Switzerland, but had given up due to overcomplicated bureaucracy and physical weakness that prevented her from traveling there.[24]

She underwent stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to ablate her liver metastases, followed by surgery and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat complications from the radiotherapy.[25] On 18 August 2026, Rudan died from the disease at the age of 76. Her official Facebook profile announced her passing by posting the statement: "Vedrana left for an area with no reception."[26][27]

Public figures who paid tribute to Rudan following her passing include Nina Badrić,[28][29] Ana Bekuta,[30] Ceca,[31] Ivica Dačić,[32] Srđan Dragojević,[33] Miljenko Jergović,[34] Dejan Jović,[35] Anđelo Jurkas,[33] Julijana Matanović,[33] Nina Obuljen Koržinek,[36] Katarina Peović,[33] Ida Prester,[37] Severina,[38] Aleksandar Stanković[39] and Aleksandar Vučić.[40]

Bibliography

List of books published by Vedrana Rudan[41]
Title Year Genre English edition Notes
Uho, grlo, nož 2002 Novel Night (2004)[42]
Ljubav na posljednji pogled 2003 Novel Love at Last Sight (2017)[43]
Ja, nevjernica 2005 Collection of columns N/a Contains columns originally published in Nacional and Feral Tribune.[44]
Crnci u Firenci 2006 Novel N/a
Kad je žena kurva / kad je muškarac peder 2007 Collection of columns N/a Contains columns originally published in Nacional.[45]
Strah od pletenja 2009 Collection of columns N/a Contains material originally published in Feral Tribune and Nacional.[41]
Dabogda te majka rodila 2010 Novel Mothers and Daughters (2018)[46]
Kosturi okruga Madison 2012 Novel N/a
U zemlji krvi i idiota 2013 Collection of columns and other texts N/a Contains texts originally published in Nacional and on Rudan's blog.[41]
Amaruši 2013 Novel N/a Substantially revised and republished as Besplatna dostava in 2023.[47]
Zašto psujem 2015 Collection of columns N/a Contains texts originally published on Rudan's blog, selected by the editor Vladimir Arsenijević.[48]
Muškarac u grlu 2016 Novel N/a
Život bez krpelja 2018 Collection of columns N/a Contains columns originally published on Rudan's blog.[49]
Ples oko Sunca 2019 Autobiography N/a [50]
Puding od vanilije 2021 Collection of columns N/a Contains columns originally published on Rudan's blog,[51] selected by the editor Jasmina Radojičić.[52]
Doživotna robija 2022 Novel N/a
Umrijeti bez stresa 2024 Publicistic writing N/a Contains texts originally published on Rudan's blog.[53]

References

  1. ↑ "Ovo je zadnja kolumna Vedrane Rudan: 'One se dave u paklu sa smiješkom na licu'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Papić, Mateja (August 18, 2026). "Vedrana Rudan preživjela pakao zlostavljanja, a onda sreću pronašla s uspješnim odvjetnikom". Večernji list (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  3. ↑ Begagić, Lamija (August 10, 2005). "Rudan, Vedrana" (in Czech). iLiteratura.cz. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  4. ↑ Thompson, Mark (1999). Forging War: The Media in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina. University of Luton Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-86020-552-1.
  5. 1 2 Lucic, Ana. "An Interview with Vedrana Rudan". Dalkey Archive Press.
  6. ↑ "Vedrana Rudan: Archives". Nacional (in Croatian). Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Vedrana Rudan prestala pisati blog: Ne mogu podnijeti mržnju koja vlada Hrvatskom - black". Index.hr. August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Odustajem | Vedrana Rudan". Rudan.info. August 24, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ Derk, Denis (March 28, 2017). "Donosi se Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku Hrvata, Srba, Bošnjaka i Crnogoraca" [A Declaration on the Common Language of Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins is About to Appear]. Večernji list (in Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb. pp. 6–7. ISSN 0350-5006. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  10. ↑ Lacey, Josh (December 11, 2004). "Bitter somethings". The Guardian. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Drinjaković, Mersiha (July 9, 2010). "Muškarci ne vole dobre žene". Gracija (in Bosnian). Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  12. ↑ Pogačnik, Jagna (May 25, 2006). "Vedrana Rudan – "Crnci u Firenci"". Moderna vremena. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  13. ↑ "bijela vrana poet grakće" (in Croatian). Kupus.net. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  14. ↑ Parać, Zvonimir (November 11, 2014). ""Kurva" napokon dolazi u Split!" (in Croatian). S4S Portal. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  15. ↑ Wood, Nicholas (July 2, 2007). "Fascist Overtones From Blithely Oblivious Rock Fans". The New York Times.
  16. ↑ Croatia: International Religious Freedom Report 2009 (Report). U.S. Department of State. October 26, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Vedrana Rudan's Statement is Pure Anti-Semitism". Zagreb: Dalje. January 28, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Croatian Writer Rudan Dismayed by State of Society". Misli. March 27, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  19. ↑ Marjanović, Vera (April 10, 2015). "Vedrana Rudan: "Jugoslawien ist lebendiger denn je"" (in German). Kosmo. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  20. ↑ Trošelj, Slavko (December 18, 2011). "Uživam dva ugleda" (in Serbian). Politika. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  21. ↑ E. G. (August 18, 2026). "Tko su djeca Vedrane Rudan? Sina javnost dobro poznaje, a kćer rijetko viđa". Showbuzz.hr (in Croatian). Nova TV. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Vedrana Rudan u NU2: Htjela sam eutanaziju, ali preslaba sam za do Švicarske". Index.hr (in Croatian). March 2, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  23. ↑ Banjeglav Perković, Gorana (October 10, 2024). "Vedrana Rudan progovorila o raku s kojim se bori". Story.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  24. ↑ Mileusnić, Jelena (March 2, 2025). "Vedrana Rudan je željela umrijeti i pokušala otići na eutanaziju". Story.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  25. ↑ L. G. (March 30, 2026). "Vedrana Rudan o borbi s rakom: 'Prije dva mjeseca htjela sam umrijeti. A onda su isprobali tu metodu...'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  26. ↑ Banjeglav Perković, Gorana (August 18, 2026). "Službeni profil Vedrane Rudan: 'Otišla je na područje bez signala'". Story.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Umrla Vedrana Rudan". Blic (in Serbian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Brojne Hrvatice opraštaju se od preminule književnice i kolumnistice: 'Hvala ti, Vedrana, za sve'". Net.hr (in Croatian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  29. ↑ Protić, Teodora (August 18, 2026). "Poznati se oprostili od Vedrane Rudan". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  30. ↑ Milojević, Milica (August 18, 2026). "Ana Bekuta neutešna nakon smrti Vedrane Rudan: "Hvala ti što si se borila"". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  31. ↑ Milojević, Milica (August 18, 2026). "Ceca Ražnatović se oprostila od Vedrane Rudan: "Putuj s anđelima"". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  32. ↑ I. J.; HINA (August 18, 2026). "Dačić se oprostio od Vedrane Rudan: 'Takvi ljudi ostave trag koji vrijeme ne briše'". Tportal.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Koprek, Veronika (August 18, 2026). "Katarina Peović: 'Vedrana Rudan doživjela je diskriminaciju zdravstva, upozoravala me. Bila je beskompromisna'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Jergović, Prester i brojni drugi opraštaju se od Vedrane Rudan: 'Bila je ludo hrabra žena i psovala je sa stilom'". Večernji list (in Croatian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Reakcije na smrt Vedrane Rudan: Ludo hrabra žena sa unikatnim stilom". RTV BN (in Serbian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  36. ↑ I. K.; HINA (August 18, 2026). "Ministrica kulture se oprostila od Vedrane Rudan: Njen rad kao beskompromisni aktivizam". Tportal.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Poznati se opraštaju od Vedrane Rudan: 'Imala je mozak i muda daleko veća od mnogih...'". 24sata (in Croatian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  38. ↑ "'Seve, jebi im i dalje mater svima'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Oglasio se prijatelj Vedrane Rudan, otkrio kada su se posljednji put čuli". SrpskaInfo (in Bosnian). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  40. ↑ Kavedžić, Monika (August 18, 2026). "Aleksandar Vučić se oglasio nakon smrti Vedrane Rudan: 'Vjerujem da bi i na ovo imala prigovor'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  41. 1 2 3 "Knjige Vedrane Rudan". Vedrana Rudan. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  42. ↑ Rudan, Vedrana (2004). Night. Translated by Hawkesworth, Celia. Dalkey Archive Press. ISBN 9781564783479.
  43. ↑ Rudan, Vedrana (2017). Love at Last Sight. Translated by Elias-Bursać, Ellen. Dalkey Archive Press. ISBN 9781628971668.
  44. ↑ Simić, Tanja (June 10, 2005). "Vedrana Rudan rame uz rame s Coelhom". Nacional (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  45. ↑ "KURVA". Ivan Zajc Croatian National Theatre (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  46. ↑ Rudan, Vedrana (2018). Mothers and Daughters. Translated by Firth, Will. Dalkey Archive Press. ISBN 9781628972931.
  47. ↑ ""Besplatna dostava"". Vedrana Rudan. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  48. ↑ Ognjenović, Vujica (October 13, 2015). "Vedrana Rudan: Ponosim se time što me okolina doživljava vešticom". Laguna (in Serbian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  49. ↑ Kleva, Zdravko; V. M.; HRT (December 14, 2018). "'Život bez krpelja' Vedrane Rudan". Croatian Radiotelevision (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  50. ↑ Hrvatin, Slaven (October 25, 2019). "Intervju za Blic: Gledamo direktan prenos pakla u kome živimo". Vedrana Rudan (in Serbo-Croatian). Interviewed by Tatjana Nježić. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Novi naslovi - studeni". Knjižnice grada Zagreba (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  52. ↑ Katalina, Dejan (May 17, 2021). "Vedrana Rudan: Muškarci siluju jer su isprovocirani ženskom zlobom?". Laguna (in Serbian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  53. ↑ Krmpotić, Marinko (February 5, 2025). "Vedrana Rudan "Umrijeti bez stresa": Drsko, provokativno, s puno humora i moćnih dijaloga". Novi list (in Croatian). Retrieved August 18, 2026.
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