Vera Primorac (1942 ̶ 2022)
Biography
Vera Primorac graduated from grammar school and the School for teachers in the town of her native town Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and graduated in the Croatian language and literature from the Pedagogical Academy. Most of her teaching years she worked at the Grammar School “Braća Šimić” in Mostar. She worked as a teacher in France as well, where she continued to write and paint on silk. She had a number of joint and independent exhibitions in France, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vera Primorac wrote poetry from her early childhood, publishing it in a number of literary journals, both in print and digital. For decades she published prose: aphorisms, columns, short stories, reviews and essays. She published ten books, her lyrics being translated into several languages. She edited twenty books of prose and poetry. For her haiku she received over twenty top international and domestic awards. Chosen by Krzysztof Kokot (Poland), she was on the list of the European Top 100 Haiku Authors in 2010 ̶ 2011. She was on the editorial staff of the Anthology of the Croatian Haiku Poetry, An Unmown Sky (1996 ̶ 2007). She was a member of several literary and haiku associations and as a member of Matrix Croatica, the Viškovo Branch, she was awarded the Plaque of the Municipal Viškovo, for her literary attainments and promotion of Croatia in 2009.
Awards and Other Honors:
Haiku sequence Award, Kloštar Ivanić Haiku Contest (2007); Award, A Little Haiku Contest by IRIS haiku magazine no 3/4, (Ivanić Grad, Croatia); Selected haiku (by Kōko Katō), Basho Festival Haiku Contest (2009); Two second prizes, The 13th International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2008); Comendation, Apokalipsa haiku magazine contest (Slovenija, 2005); World Haiku 2010 No.6, World Haiku Association; Third Prize, International Kusamakura Haiku Competition (2006); First Prize, Kloštar Ivanić Haiku Contest, Croatia language category (2008); Second Prize for haiku sequence, Kloštar Ivanić Haiku Contest (2010); named one of the top 100 European haiku poets by haiku.forum.pl.; work included on the Haiku Society of America's "Haiku Wall" at the Liberty Theatre Gallery in Bend, Oregon (June 3-5, 2011); Honorable Mention, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Award (2011)); Honorable Mention, Haiku Contest of the Journal of Romanian-Japanese cultural interferences HAIKU (2012).
Books published - Japanese short poems:
- Utočišta, Društvo haiku pjesnika Rijeka, 2006;
- Tragovi, Društvo haiku pjesnika Rijeka, 2007;
- Miris zemlje. Matica hrvatska ogranak Viškovo, Viškovo, 2008;
- Dvije obale/dva kraja, hrvatski jezik i čakavsko narječje, Viškovo, 2013.
Selection of haiku:
spring adorned
by crimson sour-cherries
behind both ears
rumenom višnjom
proljeće se okiti
iza oba uha
(Third Prize, International “Kusamakura” Haiku Competition, Japan 2006)
*
from an old photo album
smiling at me tenderly
childhood
iz starog fotoalbuma
nježno mi se smiješi
sjetinjstvo
(Two Second Prizes, The 13th International “Kusamakura” Haiku Competition, Japan 2008)
*
with drops
of rain
a rain of petals
s kapljicama
kiše
kiša latica
(Special Merit Award, The 20th Itoen “Oh-I-Ocha” New Haiku Contest, Japan 2012)
*
a ruined house
knitted all around
in the cobwebs
razrušena kuća
premrežena unaokolo
paučinom
(Commended work, The 42nd A-Bomb Memorial Day Haiku Contest, Japan 2008)
*
autumn evening
rain poured music
into the gutters
jesenja večer,
kiša ulila glazbu
u oluke
(Ploc la revie du haiku No. 31, France 2012)
Sources:
https://thehaikufoundation.org/poet-details/?IDclient=138
https://akitahaiku.com/2011/11/12/3-11-haiku-from-vera-primorac-croatia/
http://www.worldhaiku.net/poetry/si/vera_primorac/1st.html