The final day of the second Ponta Lopud Book Bridge, held on Saturday, September 20, offered a deeply emotional and reflective conclusion to the three-day literary program, underscoring Lopud’s role as an island of creative encounters and dialogue. The morning began with Mining Memories, a workshop led by acclaimed author Cauvery Madhavan, during which participants delved deeply into their own memories, seeking to connect emotions with the senses—colors, sounds, and scents. In an atmosphere of trust infused with inspiration, many chose to share personal stories of joyful moments from the past, transforming intimate recollections into a source of literary creativity.

Cauvery Madhavan

This was followed by the presentation of The Benefactors by Irish writer Wendy Erskine, a novel that vividly portrays the everyday life of urban Belfast, weaving it together with subtle humor and a sensitivity to the fragility of life. Erskine, whose previous works have won multiple awards, explores uncertain moral choices and complex family dynamics in this new book. Croatian poet and prose writer Dorta Jagić, a highly acclaimed author recognized for her unique sensibility, read both new and selected poems from her rich body of work, once again demonstrating why her poetry is celebrated for its evocative depictions of everyday life, women’s experiences, and powerful imagination.

Wendy Erskine and Dorta Jagić

A highlight of the day was the panel discussion The Responsibilities and Role of Authors in Political Trends, which revealed just how inseparable literature is from social reality. Seid Serdarević emphasized that every approach we take is “inevitably political,” noting that we live in a time when public dialogue is increasingly rare, and human communication reduced to “shouting from the baloon.” He sees writing as a form of resistance, not only against society but also against oneself, convinced that “all art is born out of a deep inner need.” Picking up on themes of gender and political correctness, Danijela Crljen stressed the responsibility of authors toward “forgotten groups” and the importance of giving them a voice in literature: “It’s up to me to give voice to women so that my daughter can have a different life from her grandmother. We must work to ensure the world moves in the right direction.” In her reflection, Crljen also underlined the power of subtle messages in literature, which, as she noted, may not trigger immediate change but reveal broader social patterns through “the small aspects of life.” Marko Gregur concluded that literature is “slower than life by its very nature,” yet carries political ideas and requires endurance, highlighting the importance of universal themes and closeness to the world from which it emerges: “Literature must outlast the lifespan of a single politics and foster dialogue.” The panel also addressed the challenges of artificial intelligence and the rise of political correctness, reminding the audience that a text gains true strength only when born out of an authentic authorial need.

Srđan Sandić, Marko Gregur, Danijela Crljen and Seid Serdarević

The presentation of Jurica Pavičić’s new novel Usta puna mora (Mouth Full of Sea), moderated by Staša Aras, opened a conversation about trusting one’s own voice and the precision of genre writing. Pavičić emphasized that meticulous preparation and an ear for authentic dialogue are crucial to his process: “I feel comfortable when writing about a world I know well; I must understand how my character speaks, what they talk about.” His inspiration came from a real-life case in Split, which, through a series of interconnected events, including those linked to the Homeland War, expands the novel beyond the boundaries of mystery into a broader social landscape. Reflecting on the relationship between literature and knowledge, he stressed that “the transmission of knowledge is the strongest tool at our disposal,” granting both journalism and literature a special place in questioning collective reality. He also explained that his thoughts on authorial responsibility, prompted by the earlier panel discussion on politics in literature, extend beyond public engagement to an inner ethical stance: “Every educated person has a responsibility toward society,” he concluded, while Aras highlighted the power of fiction to take a single “tragic event and open up an entire panorama of hidden stories and layers of reality.”

Jurica Pavičić and Staša Aras

As the festival’s final note, the audience gathered at Hotel Glavović for a performance of traditional singing by Irish poet Gormflaith Ní Shíocháin Ní Bheoláin, whose rendition brought a sense of warmth and dignified intimacy to the close of the festival’s second edition, leaving an impression of finely woven connections between cultures and generations.

Gormflaith Ní Shíocháin Ní Bheoláin

With this gathering, another season of Lopud’s festivals organized by the Creative Platform Ponta Lopud came to a successful close. Throughout the summer, the island became an essential meeting place for artistic exchange and inspiration through the Ponta Lopud Film Festival, Jazz Festival, and Book Bridge, bringing together leading creators from around the world and the local community into a single cultural narrative. These festivals, blending continuity with innovation, foster connection and the affirmation of art in all its forms, cementing Lopud’s position as a creative center on map of the Mediterranean.