Croatian novel with the most editions 05.07.2022.
If you wonder which Croatian novel has had most editions and which Croatian novel has been most translated into other languages, the answer might be found in this room.
Yes, it is children's novel Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića [The Brave Adventures of a Shoemaker's Boy]. It has been published in 220 editions and translated into 28 languages.
Few visitors of this memorial house do not have their own copy of Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića. However, did you know that all copies of Šegrt Hlapić are not the same? There are four versions of the novel, and various of them were used as the basis for all subsequent editions. If you wish to find out which version was used in your edition of Šegrt Hlapić you just have to look at certain paragraphs in the novel.
Thus, find a place where a poor basket maker counts his coins in a tin plate. If he has 6 crowns then your copy of the novel is based on the first edition published in 1913.
If he has counted three forints then your copy belongs to the edition created according to the critical edition from 2020.
If each of Marko's geese is worth three hundred crowns, then your copy belongs to the edition published on the basis of Kugli's edition from 1922.
If Hlapić has picked a pretty bunch of wildflowers: red poppies and white daisies, then your edition is based on Horvat's edition from 1941.
