ANNOUNCEMENT OF LECTURE:
Milan Majerović Stilinović – What I Learned on the Mountain

The third lecture in the series of science-popular lectures “Science as a Gift” will be delivered by journalist and writer Milan Majerović Stilinović. The lecture, based on his book What I Learned on the Mountain (How Your Trail Can Become a Book), will take place at the Poklon Visitor Centre on Thursday, October 30, at 6 p.m.

In this interactive talk, journalist and writer Milan Majerović-Stilinović will invite visitors to explore the paths and trails that lead to something new: a new state of mind, a feeling, a story, a book, or a personal transformation. Along with presenting the process behind his first book, a collection of short stories What I Learned on the Mountain (Libricon, Zagreb, 2020), Milan will share his experiences and offer advice on creativity, all through the lens of mountain landscapes.

The book has been described as an introspective, spiritual and simple, yet profound journey toward self-discovery and peace. It is a partly autobiographical blend of mountaineering experiences and life philosophy — relaxed, often playfully humorous, and thought-provoking. It encourages readers to reflect on the impact of nature on inner balance and, of course, to head into the mountains — including Učka!

Milan will guide visitors through the key stages of his creative process — from the idea for the first story to a printed book in a shop window or an audiobook in a digital app. What mattered most in creating his “manifesto,” which has found new readers for several years now, especially among mountain lovers? And what should those who wish to leave a similar creative mark keep in mind?

Together with the audience, he will start a few new stories on the spot and see where they might lead — as he knows from experience that small, unexpected moments often take him to the most surprising places. All it takes is the first step.

Milan Majerović-Stilinović (born 1972), journalist and writer, has worked for HRT, daily newspapers, radio stations, web portals and online TV programs. Although still widely recognized as a TV reporter, editor, and host, he has spent the past 15 years working independently as a communications and public relations consultant.

In his free time, he is a recreational mountaineer. In early 2019, he launched the Facebook blog What I Learned on the Mountain, which became the foundation for his first book of the same name, published in 2020 by Libricon, featuring 50 short “stories on the move.” Inspired by time spent in nature, encounters with people, living creatures and the phenomena he encounters while hiking, these notes carry a strong autobiographical tone yet still evoke a sense of recognition in readers’ own experiences.

Three years later, in 2023, he published a new novel, The Heart of My Bear — inspired by Gorski kotar and the life of a real historical figure, the “forest hermit” after whom the location Markov brlog in Risnjak National Park is named.

He is actively involved in organizing the “Brdo knjiga” mountain-and-book festival, and he recently returned to his television roots through the last two seasons of HRT’s documentary series Planine, appearing as the host of the “Risnjak” episode in the first season and the special holiday episode Planine: White Christmas in the second. He lives and works in Zagreb.