Zagreb gets “Samurai of the Bar”: presentation of the third edition of Marijan Grakalić’s haiku-guide and an exhibition of Stiv Cinik’s caricatures at Cinkuš
On Friday, January 30, 2026, at 7 p.m., at the Cinkuš caffe bar and gallery at Mletačka ulica 9 in Zagreb, according to the organizers' announcement, the Zagreb presentation of the third, updated and expanded edition of the book “Samurai of the Bar” by author Marijan Grakalić will take place, along with the opening of an exhibition of caricatures by Stiv Cinik. This is a cultural event that combines literature and visual satire, but also a local story from the hills of Prigorje: Sveti Ivan Zelina, wine and “posts” – taverns, wine huts and coffee houses – become a stage for haiku miniatures, while caricatures follow that world as quick, precise portraits of people and customs.
For visitors coming from outside the city, it is useful to consider
accommodation in Zagreb near the Upper Town and the center in advance, especially since the event takes place in the evening, and the end of January in the metropolis is traditionally full of smaller cultural programs and weekend outings.
What is being presented and why this edition is special
“Samurai of the Bar” is in its concept an unusual hybrid: the book is read as a collection of haikus, but it is also experienced as a tourist-poetic guide. According to the Tourist Board of the city of Sveti Ivan Zelina, the third edition brings additions and expansions, and a special novelty is a stronger visual layer – illustrations and caricatures by Stiv Cinik that accompany the text and “enhance the impression” of the world of bar samurai. In the same spirit, the announcement of earlier presentations suggests the idea that Zelina and wine should not be viewed only as gastronomy, but as culture: conversation, socializing, local stories, memories, and even small rituals that arise around a glass of wine, beer, spritzer or spirits.
The organizers and partners of the project have previously emphasized that the haiku form in this book does not serve exoticism, but a concentrate of experience: a brevity that sometimes more accurately than longer descriptions captures the atmosphere of “night and morning”, longing, travel, childhood, small incidents and accidents and, ultimately, enjoyment in the Prigorje landscape. In this framework, “samurai” are not superheroes but archetypes: people who preserve memories, know life perspectives and – perhaps most importantly – know when to stop, talk and ensure a “safe return”.
Why the story returns to Zagreb
The third edition has already been presented in Sveti Ivan Zelina, and the Zagreb presentation is a logical continuation of the journey: the book was created from a local story, but it is readable more broadly, especially in the Central European context in which taverns, coffee houses and wine huts are part of everyday life and the social fabric. Such content in Zagreb, a city that has a strong tradition of coffee houses and public places of conversation, gains an additional layer of meaning: the “bar” is no longer just a location, but a metaphor for a space where urban routine, art and the microhistories of ordinary people intersect.
Cinkuš as a caffe bar and gallery, according to publicly available registration data, is located at the address Mletačka ulica 9, which fits into the idea of an event that wants to be simultaneously a literary evening and an exhibition program. The combination of “instructions on the art of living” and caricature as a quick, witty diagnosis of character often works best precisely in smaller, more intimate spaces where the audience can ask questions, stay and talk after the official part.
If you plan to stay over the weekend, it is practical to keep an eye on
accommodation for visitors in Zagreb near the event location, because the Upper Town and the city center offer the easiest access to evening programs and a walk after the event.
Haiku as a form: brevity that carries the whole region
Haiku often appears in the Croatian literary space as a discipline of language, but “Samurai of the Bar” also uses it as a way of traveling. The announcements point out that the journey begins “from the first drop” and that through these “miniatures” stories about the vineyard, hills, people and customs open up. The Zelina region is not a decoration here: it becomes the protagonist of the book. The Tourist Board of the city of Sveti Ivan Zelina in its descriptions of the destination emphasizes precisely the vineyards, high-quality wines and the Zelina Wine Road as the foundation of identity, and that identity is translated into poetic language in the book.
In practice, reading such a text often does something interesting: some readers recognize situations they have already lived through, and some get an “incentive” – the idea to experience something for the first time. The book thus does not promise a ready-made itinerary, but offers an atmosphere and a mental map, with the message that conversation, socializing and getting to know each other are just as important as a glass of wine.
Caricatures by Stiv Cinik: a visual “second sentence” of every story
The third edition especially emphasizes the role of Stiv Cinik, an artist who, according to Večernji list, is a caricaturist, fine artist and animator, and the author of a project that strongly marked local pop culture. The same text states that during his career he “scribbled” tens of thousands of papers and that his works won awards even outside Croatia. In the context of “Samurai of the Bar”, caricature is not just an illustration but a commentator: it catches “that something” in people, emphasizes character without the need for long explanations and in this way becomes an ideal pair for haiku.
According to the announcements related to the third edition, the caricatures were created after months of research “in the field”, across Zelina’s “posts”. Such an approach suggests a documentary impulse: it is not about generic characters, but about observing the local scene and its types. The exhibition in Zagreb can therefore also be read as a small cross-section of “portraits of a region” – transferred to a city that often perceives that region as an excursion site, but more rarely observes it as a rich cultural micro-region.
Zelina, the wine road and “kraljevina”: the local that can be read universally
In recent years, Sveti Ivan Zelina has positioned itself as a destination at a short distance from Zagreb, with an emphasis on the wine road and experiences in vineyards, cellars and wine huts. On the official pages of the tourist board, the Zelina Wine Road, which passes through wine-growing settlements, is highlighted, as well as the possibility of visiting winemakers and tasting local specialties with wine. A similar emphasis is placed by the regional tourist promotion of Zagreb County, which describes Zelina as the center of the Prigorje region and a destination known for its wines and wine points.
In the book, that context appears as a “fairy-tale green” region: hills, vineyards and tables are not just a backdrop, but a place where social connection is created. In this sense, “samurai” become a symbol of the community: people who preserve memories and pass stories on to visitors, and visitors, at least in an ideal scenario, leave with the feeling that they have participated in something authentic.
For those who want to experience the “original terrain” of the book after the Zagreb evening, a meaningful next step can be a one-day or weekend trip to Prigorje – and then it is worth checking
accommodation in Sveti Ivan Zelina and the surrounding area for excursionists, especially if you plan a tour of the wine road without rushing and with more stops.
What the audience can expect at the evening in Cinkuš
According to the announcement of the event, the program has two main focuses: the presentation of the book and the opening of the exhibition. In practice, this usually means that the audience is introduced to the context of the creation of the edition, it is explained what is new in the third version and how the caricatures were created, and then the transition is made to viewing the works and informal socializing.
In accordance with the idea of a “poetic guide”, it is expected that there will be talk about:
- why haiku was chosen as a form and how it translates into a local, Prigorje context
- what the metaphor of “samurai of the bar” means and where the line is between a joke, nostalgia and serious observation
- how caricature acts as social commentary without the need for harsh moralizing
- in what way the Tourist Board of the city of Sveti Ivan Zelina entered the project as a publisher and partner
- how a local wine story can be told to an audience that knows Zelina only as a point on a map
Broader context: when tourism and culture work together
Such projects are not common, but they have a recognizable effect: instead of a classic promotional text, the destination gets an artistic product that can last longer than one season. Tourist boards often look for ways to distinguish themselves from a “list of attractions”, and a book that combines haiku and caricature goes precisely in the direction of a recognizable identity. At the same time, the literary and artistic part does not have to be a “service to tourism” – if they are independent enough, they can function as a cultural event even without previous interest in the destination.
The Zagreb presentation in this sense has a double audience: some come because of the author and the format, others because of Cinik and the caricature, others perhaps because of Zelina and wine. And the best scenario is the one in which these audiences mix, so someone who came for the drawings leaves with the idea of a trip, and someone who came for the “wine story” discovers that haiku suits them as a way of reading everyday life.
And that is why it is realistic to expect that the conversation at the end, as often happens in such spaces, will return to the basics: where the “posts” are today, how the culture of drinking and socializing is changing, and what remains the same regardless of trends. In that part of the evening, the meaning of “Samurai of the Bar” usually becomes clearest – not as an idealization of alcohol, but as a reminder that conversation, measure and togetherness are still the most important ingredients of every good table.
Sources:- Tourist Board of the city of Sveti Ivan Zelina – announcement of the presentation of the third edition and quotes from the organizers/authors (link)- Tourist Board of the city of Sveti Ivan Zelina – text about “Samurai” as a tourist-poetic guide and the context of the first presentations (link)- Tourist Board of the city of Sveti Ivan Zelina – official description of the Zelina Wine Road (link)- Večernji list – profile and interview/content about Stiv Cinik (career, field of work) (link)- P.E.N. Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina – biographical profile of Marijan Grakalić (birth, work and bibliographic framework) (link)- Fina Info.BIZ – public registration data for “GALERIJA CINKUŠ d.o.o.” (address Mletačka ulica 9, Zagreb) (link)- Visit Zagreb County – context of the Zelina Wine Road and the highlighted variety Kraljevina/Queen (regional tourist promotion) (link)
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