"The kingdom of music is the kingdom of the soul." – Dora Pejačević Dora Pejačević (September 10, 1885 – March 5, 1923) was a Croatian composer, the daughter of Ban (Viceroy) Teodor Pejačević and the Hungarian Baroness Elisabeth (Lilla) Vay de Vaya. In the first twenty-three years of this century, many musical artists have included Dora Pejačević’s works in their concert programs, while numerous music critics and musicologists have written about her. Interest in Dora Pejačević among musicians continued to grow, reaching its peak with the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of her death in 2023, when her works were performed extensively in Croatia and abroad. This once again confirmed that Dora Pejačević can, without hesitation, be called the greatest Croatian composer.

This book presents a warm and powerful story about the private and professional life of Dora Pejačević — the privileges she enjoyed and the limitations she resisted, the love she gave and the hopes she shared, the rebellious spirit she never abandoned, and the extraordinary mind with which she created.

Dora’s private and professional life is told in seven chapters, and the book also offers several valuable additions — letters, newspaper articles, and other texts originally published in various foreign-language sources, all carefully and precisely translated by the author. In addition, the book is richly illustrated with photographic materials from both Croatian and international archives and private collections, providing an exceptionally valuable insight not only into Dora’s past but also into the political, social, and cultural history of Croatia.

Iz recenzija:

“The art of Dora Pejačević certainly deserves a book like this, and the author’s deep respect for the composer is present on every page and passed on to the reader. Following the renaissance of her music, Dora Pejačević has come to life again in this book as an intriguing figure of an unconventional life — both before and after her death. The author’s research talent has completely dispelled the doubts of skeptics and the question of whether we need yet another book about Dora Pejačević. The amount of new information and insights is truly impressive, revealing new lives and worlds of Dora Pejačević. The author draws readers so successfully into this richly documented story of Dora that they, too, begin to care whether a certain manuscript or document will ever be found. Particular praise should be given to the parts of the monograph devoted to music, as the author has struck the perfect balance of analysis to engage both music experts and amateurs alike.” — Dr. Nada Bezić