Poet Profile

Anto Gardaš

Anto Gardaš was born in Agići, near Derventa, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He died in Osijek, Croatia. He wrote about forty books dealing with a variety of themes: novels, fairy tales, stories, poems, role plays, and haiku. He was a member of the Croatian Writer's Association (Društvo hrvatskih književnika) and was the president of its branch for Slavonia and Baranya. Gardaš was among the most important (and favorite) Croatian writers for children and juveniles. He visited hundreds of Croatian grammar and secondary schools throughout the years, reading his poetry and prose to the pupils.

Awards and Other Honors: Haiku: Second Prize, Day of Dubravko Ivančan, Croatian language category, Krapina (1999); Third Prize, International Kusamakura Competition (2000); Honorary Award, Itoen International Competition (2000); Third Prize, Haiku magazine Vrabac / Sparrow (Samobor 2000); Third Prize, International Kusamakura Competition (2001); Runner-up, Ito-En, 13th International Haiku Contest (2002); Devidé: Antologija hrvatskoga haiku pjesništva [An Anthology of Croatian Haiku Poetry] (P.I.P. Pavičić, Zagreb, 1996). Other Awards: Award „Grigor Vitez“ for novel Ljubičasti Planet (The Purple Planet); Award „Josip i Ivan Kozarac“ for literature opus.

Books Published: Of the 40 books published by Anto Gardaš, only haiku publications are included here: Grm divlje ruže (Matica hrvatska Osijek: Osijek, 1994); Žuborenja (Matica hrvatska, Ogranak: Osijek, 1996); Sto sunovrata / A Hundred daffodils (Hrvatsko haiku društvo / The Croatian Haiku Association: Samobor, 1997); Bijela tišina (Profil International: Zagreb, 2003); Sjaj mjesečine / The Moonlight Brightness (Ogranak Matice hrvatske: (Osijek, 2003).

Snail's tentacle
–having  touched a blade of grass–
bent gently

Troubled river
pulling a heap of boughs
over the moon.

A June evening.
All the smells are flooded
By linden fragrance.

In the night sky,
voices of wild geese
full of autumn.

Warm night in July.
The old marsh has drunk
all the moonlight up.

Poplar in the Autumn:
a golden torch
raised to the sky.

The summer night
nailed to a bare firmament
with golden nails.

Fog above the river.
Over river's middle sails
somebody's speech.

After the downpour
the reed in the shoal
lowered for two knees.

In a dark night
the owl's blowing
seems even darker

Credits: Snail's tentacle" - Second Prize, Haiku Day Dubravko Ivančan, Croatian language category (Krapina,1999); "A June evening" - Haiku No. 15/16 (Zagreb, 1999); "Warm night in July" - Sjaj mjesečine / The Moonlight Brightness (Ogranak Matice hrvatske: Osijek, 2003); "The summer night" - Third Prize, International Kusamakura Competition (2000); "Troubled river" - Honorary Award, Itoen Internatioanal Competition (2000); "In the night sky" - Sjaj mjesečine / The Moonlight Brightness (Ogranak Matice hrvatske: Osijek, 2003); "Poplar in the Autumn" - Vladimir Devidé: Antologija hrvatskoga haiku pjesništva / An Anthology of Croatian Haiku Poetry (P.I.P. Pavičić: Zagreb, 1996); "Fog above the river" - Vladimir Devidé: Antologija hrvatskoga haiku pjesništva / An Anthology of Croatian Haiku Poetry (P.I.P. Pavičić: Zagreb, 1996); "After the downpour" - Sjaj mjesečine / The Moonlight Brightness (Ogranak Matice hrvatske: Osijek, 2003); "In a dark night" - Third Prize, Haiku magazine Vrabac / Sparrow (Samobor, 2000).