Ivan, from Adriatic to Pacific [Paperback]

Coral Petkovich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2008

Ivan Antulich was born in Croatia in 1935, just as Europe was about to plunge into a catastrophic war. He survived, but at a cost that would scar him for the rest of his life. Like many others, he sought peace and prosperity for himself and his family by migrating, but also like many others he found his adopted home, Australia, as much a place of disappointment as a sanctuary. He returned home to Croatia only to find that the place he remembered had changed in his absence and left him behind.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Highly Commended in the IP Picks Awards for Best Creative Non-fiction, this is an intimate portrait of an individual and a family that recreates the experience of so many people who grapple with a new culture and language, never quite escaping their urge to return to where they belong . --IP Picks Judging Panel Report

About the Author

Coral began writing her book while her children were small. In the evening after dinner she would ask her husband for details of his life, especially his early childhood. Gradually she composed a comprehensive biography which she later organised into a literary format. The book follows her experiences as an Australian woman doing her best to keep her family together amidst the strain of adapting to the cultures of two very different countries.

She has had several stories published and another was highly commended in a competition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Interactive Publications (May 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1876819758
• ISBN-13: 978-1876819750
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,800,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Coral Petkovich was born in Perth, Western Australia to third generation Australians of English/Scottish heritage. She was educated at Perth Modern School and the University of WA. From a very early age she enjoyed writing, and wrote many short stories some of which were published, others gained recognition. She met her future husband in Sydney while on a working holiday, never dreaming that she would not settle down in Australia to live, but go with her husband to his country of birth, Croatia. The book "Ivan - From the Adriatic to the Pacific" is the story of Coral's husband, from surviving the Second World War as a child, to escaping Tito's Yugoslavia as a young man, to living with his wife and two children in Perth, Australia - then finally, to returning to Croatia with his family, which rapidly increased to four chidlren. In this book two different aspects of migration are addressed, from two different perspectives. It is a very interesting and easy book to read and gives great insight into the way people cope with learning a new language and a new life.