Poetry and Engagement: Monika Herceg in the Labyrinth of Herstory and Itstory

Abstract

Monika Herceg is an award-winning Croatian poet of the young generation. She has published three volumes of poetry: Početne koordinate (2018), Lovostaj. (2019) and Vrijeme prije jezika (2020). Herceg’s poetry abounds in multi-layered, open metaphors, and makes numerous references to vital contemporary problems, primarily connected with systemic violence against women and nature. Particularly the second volume, which is less personal than the poet’s debut, yet more programmatic and engaged, refers to the issues raised by feminist theory. Its compositional axis determines the theme of femininity and women’s stories (herstory). Herceg’s poetry’s engagement not only concerns the choice of specific topics, but is also visible in the gesture of the lyrical subject taking over the perspective of the characters, including non- human actors (itstory). Another major thematic field of the poems is nature, which functions both as a capacious metaphor and in its actual shape. Above all, nature’s and women’s worlds are related by the experience of patriarchal oppression.