Zoran Ferić presents new novel at Vrisak festival

At the Vrisak literary festival in Rijeka, author Zoran Ferić presented his new novel, ‘Balada o sretnoj osobi’ (Ballad of a Happy Person). The story follows a young woman with Down syndrome who was kept confined in her home by her parents for nearly 25 years.

The narrative explores her first steps into the outside world following her father's death. The plot also features a special education teacher from Zagreb who seeks to adopt the protagonist under dramatic circumstances, facing social suspicion and hostility in the process.

Editor Drago Glamuzina noted that Ferić began working on this sensitive project approximately twenty years ago, requiring extensive research to handle the subject matter appropriately. Ferić stated that while his previous works contained autobiographical elements, this novel is entirely fictional, inspired by real-life observations and the poetry of Ivančica Tadej.