Ozma Goes to Belgrade

Ozma of Oz continues her tour of the world, and today we find her in a rare Yugoslavian edition.

This edition of Ozma od Oza was published in 1976 by Nolit of Belgrade. The full-length Serbian translation was made by Zoran Stanojevic. The book is illustrated in black and white by Vlada Stolikovich. There is a companion edition of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz but seemingly no other Oz books in this set - not even a Wizard of Oz.

I'm not quite sure whose fingers Billina is standing on in the cover illustration. Perhaps it is the Nome King, symbolically emerging from underground?

The illustrations are very odd and very 1970s. I quite like them because they are just so weird and unusual. The simple ink work is enhanced by many different types of Yugoslavian zip-a-tone, which is often used to great effect. The occasional moiree patterns are deliberate, not from my scans.

I especially like seeing how very different foreign illustrators portray our well known Oz characters. This is certainly one of the most original Tik-Tok designs! Almost all of Stolikovich's illustrations are decorative portraits. Few actually illustrate exact moments in the story. Oddly there is not a single picture of Ozma herself.

More Ozma of Oz next Saturday!