Book Club Adriatic
...coming together through literature
to make sense of our times...
BCA 2022: Living the Climate Disaster
Spring 2022
Borje, Croatia
To Be Confirmend subject to COVID-19 situation
Our Times
...something is wrong with the world...
We live in unprecedented times. In a state of perpetual social, economic and political upheaval. In a late capitalist dystopia, an era “dirty, tired, imperfect, winding down, at war with itself.”
We live in the Anthropocene. On a planet that we brought to a boil. Where forests die off, taking with them their fauna and flora, where acidified, polluted oceans turn into sewage, where fertile soils erode, while the air we breath fills with poison.
We live in the Age of Loneliness. In an era of atomisation and go-it-alone individualism that deprives us of a sense of collectivity and connectedness. Without the necessary frameworks to make sense of modern-day phenomena, we struggle to grasp the rapid currents of change.
We share a feeling so hard to shake off: something is wrong with the world.
Book Club Adriatic is an attempt to make sense of this feeling. To turn the negative tide. In this, we can rely on what has always helped us cope with adversity—ideals, being in nature, literature. But even more importantly, we have to rely on each other, on the power of conversation, exchange of thought and the milk of human kindness.
Today, more than ever, we see reading as a form of resistance. As the place to go in search of hope. Hope, however, is an act of faith and should be nourished by concrete actions. Concrete collective actions: debating, conspiring, rebelling.
This is why we decided to start Book Club Adriatic, a space where we come together through literature to make sense of our times.
II
There is an unassuming, easily missed, cul-de-sac coastal road that runs along the Pelješac Peninsula in Croatia. The narrow, winding way brings you to the old fishing village of Borje—dotted with stone buildings and lined by fig trees, oleanders, and rosemary bushes where you’ll be greeted by its guardians, the local cats.
In Borje, there is a house nestled into a rocky mountain slope, as if hovering between the sky above and the Adriatic below. The house has a terrace, reaching out towards the sea, and under the lattices of its vines and olive tree branches, rests a marble table.
For the past two decades, the terrace has seduced perfect strangers to revel, laugh and dance together. People from around the world have gathered in its limestone confines, sharing moments, ideas and stories.
The pains of everyday existence seem to dissipate here, as if washed away by the emerald sea waters. The soul is unchained by the open space. Embracing the rhythm of the Mediterranean nature, your heartbeat slows down and life becomes embellished by transient moments of contemplation.
Borje is a place where you are never on your own. It is a place of community and togetherness. It is a place of sharing.
We invite you here to take refuge from the unfolding storm, to gather around the marble table and to become a part of Book Club Adriatic.
Borje
...a place of sharing...
There is an unassuming, easily missed, cul-de-sac coastal road that runs along the Pelješac Peninsula in Croatia. The narrow, winding way brings you to the old fishing village of Borje—dotted with stone buildings and lined by fig trees, oleanders, and rosemary bushes where you’ll be greeted by its guardians, the local cats.
In Borje, there is a house nestled into a rocky mountain slope, as if hovering between the sky above and the Adriatic below. The house has a terrace, reaching out towards the sea, and under the lattices of its vines and olive tree branches, rests a marble table.
For the past two decades, the terrace has seduced perfect strangers to revel, laugh and dance together. People from around the world have gathered in its limestone confines, sharing moments, ideas and stories.
The pains of everyday existence seem to dissipate here, as if washed away by the emerald sea waters. The soul is unchained by the open space. Embracing the rhythm of the Mediterranean nature, your heartbeat slows down and life becomes embellished by transient moments of contemplation.
Borje is a place where you are never on your own. It is a place of community and togetherness. It is a place of sharing.
We invite you here to take refuge from the unfolding storm, to gather around the marble table and to become a part of Book Club Adriatic.
III
It is in this corner of the world that we came to think of inviting others to join us in a practice that is so at home here: through literature, conversation and discussion.
The idea is simple, based on a formula we know well. Book Club Adriatic is a week-long meeting space devoted to shared reading and discussion on literature. Each year, the Book Club selects a different theme. We read texts that tell a story of our times and encourage debate.
Each day after breakfast, we gather to discuss the pre-selected texts. We analyse literature, share our favorite passages and place them in the broader context of global issues. Apart from dissecting the books, participants are invited to present texts of their own, share their favorite passages, and even bring in other mediums of expression, such as film, art and music—there is no right or wrong.
After the seminars, the graces of the Mediterranean life are there for the taking. From beach-going to boat trips, from hikes up Mount Ilya to simply kicking up your feet on the terrace and enjoying a glass of local wine and some music, we want to ensure that there is enough time and freedom to harness the full potential of this special place, be able to learn from books, nature and people alike.
When evening falls, echoing the Ancient Greek symposium tradition, we will gather under the starry firmament to feast on local cuisine. Dinner will take us into the night that may bring a passionate debate, festive dance, some star spotting, perhaps...
Book Club Adriatic
...learn from books, nature and people...
It is in this corner of the world that we came to think of inviting others to join us in a practice that is so at home here: through literature, conversation and discussion.
The idea is simple, based on a formula we know well. Book Club Adriatic is a week-long meeting space devoted to shared reading and discussion on literature. Each year, the Book Club selects a different theme. We read texts that tell a story of our times and encourage debate.
Each day after breakfast, we gather to discuss the pre-selected texts. We analyse literature, share our favorite passages and place them in the broader context of global issues. Apart from dissecting the books, participants are invited to present texts of their own, share their favorite passages, and even bring in other mediums of expression, such as film, art and music—there is no right or wrong.
After the seminars, the graces of the Mediterranean life are there for the taking. From beach-going to boat trips, from hikes up Mount Ilya to simply kicking up your feet on the terrace and enjoying a glass of local wine and some music, we want to ensure that there is enough time and freedom to harness the full potential of this special place, be able to learn from books, nature and people alike.
When evening falls, echoing the Ancient Greek symposium tradition, we will gather under the starry firmament to feast on local cuisine. Dinner will take us into the night that may bring a passionate debate, festive dance, some star spotting, perhaps...
IV
There is a dimension to climate disaster that is largely absent from the macro scientific, historical, and economic narratives—they tend to overlook the impact upon us as humans in regards to our emotions, feelings, hopes and fears. We believe that this dimension merits thought and discussion. Within each macro narrative is a complex, woven tapestry of smaller, personal stories that shape the life of our communities, and that of our families, friends and ourselves.
It is precisely these stories—contemplating quotidian dilemmas in the time of catastrophe—that teach us how to face the unfolding climate disaster as humans. A thread of different sensitivities seems to run through them, and they are motivated by different types of questions than the ones that may concern scientists and experts.
At 2022 BCA, we would like to follow this thread and see where it takes us. A thread, which places us within and not outside those changes; understands us not as spectators, but as participants. A train of thought that overcomes the divide between the disaster out there and our lives right here, between us and the surrounding nature.
We believe that no medium is better equipped to convey such a perspective than literature. Literature, and especially the novel, has long been a space for addressing big issues on a human scale, for coming up with new worlds and vistas, for performing exercises in imagination. It is no different today, as it helps us humanize the experience of climate disaster.
This is why at BCA 2022 we would like to read texts which narrate climate disaster from a personal and engaged standpoint. Such a shift in perspective does not mean turning a blind eye to the disaster’s scientific, historical and economic aspects. Rather, it encourages us to translate those aspects into our everyday life. It is an invitation to peel them out of their abstract skin and focus instead on how we live through them, how we make sense of them, and how we react to their challenges.
Guided by this intuition, we have selected the following texts for our curriculum for the 2022 BCA:
BCA 2022: Living the Climate Disaster
...to face the unfolding climate disaster as humans...
There is a dimension to climate disaster that is largely absent from the macro scientific, historical, and economic narratives—they tend to overlook the impact upon us as humans in regards to our emotions, feelings, hopes and fears. We believe that this dimension merits thought and discussion. Within each macro narrative is a complex, woven tapestry of smaller, personal stories that shape the life of our communities, and that of our families, friends and ourselves.
It is precisely these stories—contemplating quotidian dilemmas in the time of catastrophe—that teach us how to face the unfolding climate disaster as humans. A thread of different sensitivities seems to run through them, and they are motivated by different types of questions than the ones that may concern scientists and experts.
At 2022 BCA, we would like to follow this thread and see where it takes us. A thread, which places us within and not outside those changes; understands us not as spectators, but as participants. A train of thought that overcomes the divide between the disaster out there and our lives right here, between us and the surrounding nature.
We believe that no medium is better equipped to convey such a perspective than literature. Literature, and especially the novel, has long been a space for addressing big issues on a human scale, for coming up with new worlds and vistas, for performing exercises in imagination. It is no different today, as it helps us humanize the experience of climate disaster.
This is why at BCA 2022 we would like to read texts which narrate climate disaster from a personal and engaged standpoint. Such a shift in perspective does not mean turning a blind eye to the disaster’s scientific, historical and economic aspects. Rather, it encourages us to translate those aspects into our everyday life. It is an invitation to peel them out of their abstract skin and focus instead on how we live through them, how we make sense of them, and how we react to their challenges.
Guided by this intuition, we have selected the following texts for our curriculum for the 2022 BCA:
Information and Contact
...things you need to know...
BCA will take place in 2022 in Borje, Croatia. The exact date is yet to be confirmed and depends on the COVID-19 situation.
Below, you can find a folder with some practical things you need to know about the BCA 2022, such as transport, arrival, board and lodging, amenities and costs. You will also find out more details about the BCA’s seminar format.
BCA 2022 Information Folder
We are now open for applications. If wish to join us in Borje for this year’s BCA meeting, please send us a brief email—no longer than a standard page—motivating why you would be interested in joining BCA 2022.
The number of places is limited. There is no deadline, applications are processed on a rolling basis.
Applications, as well as any additional questions you may have, can be sent to info@bookclubadriatic.com
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