Jurica Pavičić, a writer, journalist, and film critic, presented his novel Mouths Full of Sea at the Gradski library 'Matija Vlačić Ilirik' in Rovinj. Martina Peres spoke with Pavičić about the book.
Pavičić said he wrote the book from October 2024 to March 2025, which is shorter than his previous novels. He noted that the work is a shorter, more classic manuscript in terms of composition and structure, written from a single narrative perspective.
The idea for the novel came to him in 2012, when a news report stated that the body of an older, unidentified man had been found in Split, with no one recognising or looking for him. The incident occurred after Pavičić had already written the novel Mouths Full of Sea. The deceased, who was a protected tenant, was killed by his own son over the apartment and the father's pension. The case was uncovered by a private detective, as the man did not have an extended identity card, and the incident took place in a building 500 meters from Pavičić's flat.
The investigation in the novel is conducted by Goran Najev, a journalist who gained fame with his article 'Generation of Winners'. Najev, due to financial reasons, accepted the role of PR for a hotel, but resigned when the arrangement was exposed. Pavičić stated that Najev is not his alter ego, is older than him, and has written war reports.
Pavičić believes that every crime novel, if well written, is also a political and social novel. His works have been described in French as Mediterranean noir, incorporating even Chakavian dialectal vocabulary into his writing. Pavičić has also written a new novel titled The Assassin, which will be published in late October. The central motif of the book is the assassination of a mid-level politician at a business conference in Makarska.
