GROUP A

John Kasay

John Kasay, place kicker for Super Bowl participant Carolina Panthers, is ofCroatian descent. Here is an excerpt from the Seattle Post Intelligencer, Jan. 29, 2004, explaining his Croatian heritage connection.

Source:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/158490_super29.html

Excerpt:

Asked yesterday what kind of skeletons can be expected to tumble from his past, [Carolina Panthers place kicker John] Kasay said, "There's not much in my closet."
Then an oh-wait look washed across his face before he explained his last name really isn't Kasay.
It was changed when his great-grandfather emigrated from Croatia to the United States.
"My last name is not K-a-s-a-y," whatever-his-name-is said. "It was K-a-s-13-different-letters-y. When he came through Ellis Island, they were like, 'No.' They took the Y off the end and stuck it on the K-a-s-a part."
... Kasay is hoping to get the same opportunity Sunday to make a lasting name for himself.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
The Panthers are 5-0 in games in which John kicks four or more field goals. The team is just 2-13 in games in which he does not record a successful kick. From 1995-97, the Panthers were 10-2 in games in which John converted three or more field goals.

John is tied for tenth all-time in the NFL with an 80 percent field goal conversion rate.

In 1998, John connected on a career-best four field goals from beyond 50 yards, including a career-long 56-yard field goal versus Green Bay (9/27).

John produced his most accurate season in 1999, connecting on 22 of 25 field goals for a personal-best 88 percent conversion rate.

Over his career, John has kicked five game-winning field goals, four of which have come with the Panthers.

John earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts at Atlanta (9/7/97) when his last-second kick gave the Panthers a 9-6 win.

John's only miss from inside of 50 yards in 1997 came on a blocked attempt.

John's 37 field goals in 1996 set an NFL record for field goals in a season, breaking the mark held by the Giants Ali Haji-Sheikh (1983) and the Raiders Jeff Jeager (1993).

John's 145 points in 1996 led the NFL and are the fourth-most points in a season by a kicker in league history.

John was named to his first career Pro Bowl in 1996, and also earned first-team all-pro honors from UPI, second team all-pro honors from AP and Football Digest in addition to All-NFC honors from Football News.

John was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for weeks one and two in 1996, after he posted consecutive five-for-five field goal games versus Atlanta (9/1/96) and at New Orleans (9/8/96).

With five-for-five field goal games versus Atlanta (9/1/96) and at New Orleans (9/8/96) John became the second kicker in NFL history to go 10-for-10 over two games (John Carney, San Diego, 1994).

John was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September 1996 after connecting on 13-of-14 field goals in five games.

John was the Panthers leading scorer in the 1996 playoffs, posting a perfect six-for-six record on field goals and a three-for-three mark on PATs for 21 points.

John's two field goals of 51 and 54 yards versus San Diego (10/27/91) tied an NFL record for most field goals more than 50 yards in a game.

John holds the Seattle record for the longest field goal (55 yards).

Height 5-10
Weight 198
College Georgia
Hometown Athens, Ga
Birthdate Oct. 27, 1969
NFL Experience 11
Panthers Experience 7
How Acquired UFA '95
Thursday, January 29, 2004

Super Bowl: They hope to kick up their heels

By CLARE FARNSWORTH
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

HOUSTON -- The search for sex appeal among the participants in this year's Super Bowl has slipped from difficult to downright daunting.

But don't just take my word for it.

Sitting at the first in a long line of raised podiums at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday, Jake Delhomme leaned forward and looked to his left before saying, "Do you see any superstars? I don't."

The quarterback of the underdog Carolina Panthers was not trying to dog his teammates, but was giving credit to his team for advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Don't just take his word for it.

Check the Pro Bowl rosters. Only two Patriots and three Panthers were voted to the NFL all-star game next week, and only one offensive player -- Carolina running back Stephen Davis.

That's why most are expecting this to be a defense-dominated affair, in which one of the smallest players on the field could decide the outcome.

Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri and Panthers counterpart John Kasay weigh a combined 400 pounds, roughly a couple of extra-large deep-dish pizzas with all the toppings shy of what Patriots defensive tackle Ted Washington checks in at.

Vinatieri has been there, kicking a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the Patriots' 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl two years ago. Kasay has gotten his team here, kicking game-winners in four of the Panthers' 11 regular-season victories.



That's another reason why the sex-appeal elevator can't seem to leave the ground floor, where you'll find Vinatieri and Kasay among the bargain-basement implements of manual labor.

"It wouldn't surprise me if this game came down to a last-second kick to win it," said Kasay, who began his NFL career with the Seahawks in 1991 before jumping to the Panthers as a free agent four years later.

Kasay calls it the "standard m.o." -- because seven times this season the Panthers pulled out a victory on their final possession.

"We battle back and forth. There's never more than about a seven-point lead. The team that has the ball on the last drive is usually the one that wins," Kasay said when asked to elaborate.

The Panthers and Kasay, however, are not the lone standard bearers for this escape-artist routine. Fifteen times in his eight-year career with the Patriots, Vinatieri has kicked a game-winner in the final minute of regulation or overtime.

The kick most remembered came in the Super Bowl two years ago, but the one atop Vinatieri's list of favorites came in the AFC Championship Game against the Oakland Raiders that season.

No one was more impressed by the effort than Kasay, who was watching the game at home after the Panthers' 1-15 season.

"The wind was blowing into his face and he had a 45-yarder into a driving snowstorm. The whole season lies in the balance," Kasay said. "I remember when he lined up the kick, I was like, 'I don't see how he's going to make this.'

"He hit it right on the screws."

Pressure is relative, and handling it seems to be in Vinatieri's genes.

Earlier this week it was discovered that Vinatieri's great-great-grandfather, Felix, was the bandmaster for Gen. George Custer. Felix survived to plant the seed that planted the seed that planted the seed that produced Adam, only because Felix and his band were ordered to remain behind when Custer set out for the Little Big Horn in 1876.

Oh, and Evel Knievel is Vinatieri's third cousin.

These kinds of nuggets are mined when 3,200 media representatives are unleashed on 100 or so players during Super Bowl week.

Asked yesterday what kind of skeletons can be expected to tumble from his past, Kasay said, "There's not much in my closet."

Then an oh-wait look washed across his face before he explained his last name really isn't Kasay.

It was changed when his great-grandfather emigrated from Croatia to the United States.

"My last name is not K-a-s-a-y," whatever-his-name-is said. "It was K-a-s-13-different-letters-y. When he came through Ellis Island, they were like, 'No.' They took the Y off the end and stuck it on the K-a-s-a part."

Vinatieri already has had a kick to define his career. Sexy or not, Kasay is hoping to get the same opportunity Sunday to make a lasting name for himself.

SUPER BOWL XXXVIII
WHEN/WHERE: Sunday, Reliant Stadium, Houston
KICKOFF:
3:25 p.m.

TV/RADIO: KIRO/7; KJR-AM/950

P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or clarefarnsworth@seattlepi.com

“JE LI POTREBNO O BOGU MISLITI?”

‘Je li suvremenom covjeku dosadilo razmišljati o bitnim stvarima?’

Hrvatsko kulturno drustvo Napredak Vas poziva na teolosko predavanje:

“JE LI POTREBNO O BOGU MISLITI?”

U cetvrtak, 5. veljace, 2004 s pocetkom u 18:30
Hrvatski Centar (mala dvorana pored crkve na 41 ulici)
502 West 41 Street (Between 10 and 11 ave)
Informacije: 212-563-3395 ili kdeletis@excite.com

Predavanje ce odrzati zupni vikar Fra Ante Bekavac, diplomirani teolog.

Sijedi kratak opis predavanja:

“U ovom predavnju iznosim zapazanja o zaboravu koji je vrlo neobican, to je zaborav Boga. Otuda i skriveno pitanje: ‘Je li suvremenom covjeku dosadilo razmišljati o bitnim stvarima?’ Analiziram taj dogadjaj zaborava i kako smo mi ovlasteni, autorizirani da tragamo za Bogom. Slijedi govor o smislu traganja i kroz jedan mali dijalog o Martinu Muberu (filozof, hasid), govorim o rijeci Bog koja je postala sasvim nerazumljiva. Nastojao sam ove misli prenijeti u jedan siri jezik razumijevanja, te izbjeci cisto pojmnovno razlaganje stvari. Ono je bitno teolosko i egzistencijalno.”

Fra Ante

Chile- Croatia

Chilean president Ricardo Lagos (L) and Croatian President Stjepan Mesic (R) review an honor guard during their official meeting in Zagreb, January 29, 2004. Lagos is on a three-day visit to Croatia where will have meetings with Croatian top officials in Zagreb and Adriatic port of Split. REUTERS/Nikola Solic

VLADO FRANJEVIC

1963 born in Martinac, Croatia. 1985 finished the school for applied art (painting) in Zagreb. From 1988/89 till 1993 he left in St. Gallen, Switzerland and after that he moved to the Principality of Liechtenstein, homeland of his wife.

Exhibitions. From 1990 till today he exhibited his works (drawings, paintings, objects & plastics, space installations and videos) in the Principalities Liechtenstein and Monaco, in Switzerland, Croatia, Germany, French, Indonesia, Bulgaria and Serbia. As one of five artists from Liechtenstein he took a part in the culture-exchange Liechtenstein-Indonesia 2002 & 2003. From 2002 he is a member of HDLU Zagreb (Croatian Society of Fine Arts).
The most important exhibitions: Monaco-Ville, Gallery by the Cathedral, 1993; Zagreb, Croatian Horizons, MGC Klovicevi Dvori, 1997, Ed.: Croatian Centre of Strategic Studies; CH-Männedorf, PoEthisches, Benefit for Kosovo, 1999; CH-Altstätten, idee: scholle, Schollenmühle, 2000; HR-Bjelovar, Museum of City Bjelovar, 2001; Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Culture-Exchange Liechtenstein-Yogyakarta, Gallery Taman Budaya 2002 & 2003 in FL-Vaduz; D-Berlin, Berlin Art project, Taking Pictures & Writing on the Wall, 2003; BG-Sofia, Lessedra Second World Art Print Annual / Mini Print Kulturpalast, 2003.

Writing. He is also a member of Society of Interest of German Authors and of the literature Society called ‘Rheinische Brigade’ in Germany. His lyrics in Croatian, German and English was published in different physical and online literature magazines or in the poetry collections in Croatia, Germany and also once in USA. 2001 he published his first lyric collection in German under the title ‘Uraufführung’. Many times he read his lyrics and short stories in Liechtenstein, Germany, and Switzerland. A few times he wrote and read the speeches for the opening of exhibitions for other artists. He wrote a column for Croatian magazines and made interviews with the prominent peoples from Liechtenstein. He translated different literature texts from German in Croatian for the Croatian online literature magazine www.konture.com .

2000 he got the support prize for the young authors of Society of Interest of German Authors. 2002/03 as an artist he got one year scholarship of Culture Adviser of the Government of Principality of Liechtenstein.

VLADO FRANJEVIC

Marija Dalbello, Ph D
 

Marija Dalbello is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Library and
Information Science, School of Communication, Information and Library
Science at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Her research
interests and publications are in the area of knowledge creation as
related to print and electronic culture. She focuses on the interplay
between technology and society in the context of modernity, focusing on
digital libraries, transformation of visual genres and modernity, memory
and identity, and the role of memory institutions in shaping access to
information and national identity. She uses critical theory, qualitative
research methods and historical approach in her work. Her doctoral thesis
was a cultural analysis of Croatian diaspora almanacs. She has presented
and published on Croatian cultural history in Book History, Slavic and
East European Information Resources, book history and information science
conferences. She is invited to edit a special issue of Vjesnik
bibliotekara Hrvatske devoted to the history of books and printing in
Croatia for which a call for papers will be available shortly. She is
co-organizer of an annual conference and summer seminar in Dubrovnik,
Libraries in the Digital Age (http://knjiga.pedos.hr/lida/venues.php) and
has been involved with this international conference from its beginning.
She was involved with a digital art project Peace 2000 (linked from the
home page of the Philosophy Faculty in Zagreb at
http://www.ffzg.hr/peace2000/fragility.html ). Since last year, she has
been on the board of the Croatian Academy of America. Her goal is to aid
the establishment of this notable scholarly organization's archives. You
may learn more about Dr. Dalbello and her other research and teaching
activities at
http://scils.rutgers.edu/~dalbello .
Her email is: dalbello@scils.rutgers.edu .


Marija Dalbello
Assistant Professor
Department of Library and Information Science
School of Communication, Information and Library Studies
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
4 Huntington Street
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1071
Voice: 732.932.7500 / 8215
Internet: dalbello@scils.rutgers.edu
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~dalbello

EDUCATION

University of Toronto Ph.D., Information Studies, April 1999
Major fields: history of books and printing; ethnography
Dissertation: Croatian Diaspora Almanacs: A Historical and Cultural Analysis

Kent State University M.L.S., 1991
Master's research paper: Hrvatski kalendar (=Croatian Almanac): A Case Study in Ethnic Publishing

Philosophy Faculty. University of Zagreb Diploma of Graduate Librarian, 1988
Thesis: The Methodology of Compilation of a Bibliography of Ethnic Groups

Philosophy Faculty. University of Zagreb Diploma, English and Indiology, 1984
Major: English language and literature; Minor: Sanskrit
Thesis: Austin's Taxonomy of Speech

WORK EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor. Department of Library and Information Science. School of Communication, Information and Library Studies. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. July 2000 to date

Visiting Assistant Professor. School of Library and Information Studies. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Aug. 1999 to May 2000

Visiting Assistant Professor. School of Library and Information Science. The Catholic University of America. Aug. 1997 to May 1999

Teaching and Research Assistant. Faculty of Information Studies. University of Toronto. Sept. 1992 to Aug. 1997

WORK EXPERIENCE IN LIBRARIES

The Ohio State University Libraries (Columbus, Ohio).
Cataloger, Charvat Collection of American Fiction., Sept. 1988 to Dec. 1990
(full time until mid-Sept. 1990)
Library Assistant, Special Collections Cataloging, Sept. 1987 to Sept. 1988

Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku Archive and Documentation (Zagreb, Croatia)
Librarian, July 1984 to Sept. 1986
Library and Documentation Assistant, Sept. 1982 to July 1984

GRANTS

Rutgers Research Council Grant ($1,500) (2002/2002) (study: Theorizing Spectacle: The Transformation of Vision, 1886-1925)
Reinvest in Rutgers grant "Gendered Public Policies" ($1,700) (2002) (for course development: 'Gender & Technology')
Andrew A. Mellon Foundation colloquium participation grant ($500) (2002) (to showcase research project, Photography, Shadow Theatre, Silent Film: Transformation of Vision, 1886-1925)
Rutgers Research Council Grant ($2,000) (2001/2002) (study: Global Processes and Localization Strategies: A Cross-Cultural Study of National Digital Library Projects)
Andrew A. Mellon Foundation time-release grant ($6,000) (2001/2002) (for research and course development using Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum materials)
WebWorks Grant Program (1999). UW-Madison (application of web technology in classroom instruction)


FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

Ontario Graduate Scholarship
(held in 1995/96) (also 1994/95 recipient)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship
(held in 1994/95)
University of Toronto Open Doctoral Fellowship
(held in 1991/92, 1992/93; 1993/94; 1995/96)
Research fellowship at Fudan University, Shanghai
(held Sept. 1986 through Feb. 1987)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Invited speaker:

The University of Osijek, the University of Zagreb, and the regional chapter of Croatian Library Association in Rijeka "Education for Librarianship in the United States: Tradition and Transformation" three lectures10-16 June 2002.
National and University Library (Zagreb, Croatia), "Building Archival Digital Libraries: The Model of an Information Mosaic," 13 June, 2000.
Colloquium "Global Perspectives in Librarianship." School of Library and Information Studies. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 13 October, 1999.
Toronto Centre for the Book. Special Session for Graduate Students. Toronto, 29 January, 1997.

Contributor, International Dictionary of Library Histories (Ed. David Stam. Chicago, Ill.: Fitzroy Dearborn, forthcoming 2000).

Panelist, "Libraries and the Internet: Promises and Pitfalls." LIDA (Libraries in the Digital Age) 2000. Dubrovnik, Croatia, 25-28 May, 2000.

Referee, Information Processing & Management, 2000; Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 1997.

Consultant, the Canadian Review of Books, 1997.

Reviewer, Index to volumes 1-30 (1960-1989) of Journal of Croatian Studies (New York, 1995), 1996.

Conference co-organizer, Connections '96 Great Lakes Doctoral Students Conference
Planning, Review Committee, Panel Chair

Member, SHARP (Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing) (1994- ); Modern Language Association of America (1995- ); American Printing History Association (1995-1997); American Library Association (1989- ). Association of College and Research Libraries; Academic Library Association of Ohio (1989-1990); ASIST (1999-); Croatian Academy of America (1994- ); Croatian Library Association (1984-1986).

Seminar participant, Rare Book School (Charlottesville, Va.): Electronic Texts and Images (SGML workshop) (1999); Rare Book Cataloging (1989)

CIVIC OR OTHER ACTIVITIES

"Project Gutenberg" digital libraries initiative (volunteer contributor of etexts -- still working on Ivana Brlic Mazuranic's fairy tales)
"Kareta," Canadian charitable organization helping women, victims of war, 1996.


Teaching Focus: In most general terms, my teaching focuses on the creation, diffusion and use of knowledge as shaped by social and cultural forces. Courses taught reflect interest in reading and reading genres, information sources and scholarly communication, culture of the book, print culture, electronic publishing, historical and naturalistic research methods, rare books and special collections librarianship, organization of information and knowledge organization, history of libraries and information science as a field of study, social aspects of technology, and its intersections with gender, race, and class. In the delivery of courses and integral to the learning process is the use of technology in expanding the notions of literacy and writing and as agency for knowledge production and diffusion.

Student Projects: Significant group projects include Frautschi Letters Virtual Archive and The Wisconsin Mosaic, a digital library of historical materials developed by the M.L.S. students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (and in collaboration with Max Kade Institute, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison). The story behind the creation of the Wisconsin Mosaic presents the history and the rationale for this project. A group of students involved in creating a component of the Wisconsin Mosaic received an award for the innovative use of technology. At Rutgers, the Journals Database is an online assignment focusing on domain knowledge building in scholarly communities of practice; it is updated on an ongoing basis by M.L.I.S. students enrolled in the Knowledge Structures and the Information Professions class. This project was executed in collaboration with the Scholarly Communication Center (Rutgers University, Alexander Library). A resource page listing virtual communities emerging around popular reading and genre fiction is regularly updated with reviews and links contributed by students in the Reading Interests of Adults class. Several generations of students from the Reading Interests of Adults class presented their research at the New Jersey Library Association annual meeting in April 2003, featured in a panel titled Reading, Readers, Reading Genres.

The record of a semester-long online participation of the students enrolled in my book history class, with the class taught by John Unsworth at the University of Virginia's English Department, can be found at the 20th Century American Bestsellers site (archived). The experiences of that project are discussed in an article titled "Is There a Text in This Library? History of the Book and Digital Continuity."

At Rutgers, I advise M.L.I.S. student group SOURCE (Student Organization for Unique and Rare Collections Everywhere). This community consists of M.L.I.S. students interested in historical aspects of book, paper, and writing materials, and bridges between digital librarianship and special collections, rare books, visual resources librarianship and archives. It was founded in Fall 2000.

RAMON DIAZ ETEROVIC

Hrvatska Mativa Iseljenika www.matis.hr
Odjel za kulturno-prosvjetne djelatnosti i sport

O autoru, književnom opusu i najnovijem prijevodu:

RAMON DIAZ ETEROVIC: SEDMERO SIMENONOVE DJECE
(Nakladni zavod Matice Hrvatske; Hrvatska matica iseljenika, Zagreb, 2003.)
U izdanju Nakladnog zavoda Matice hrvatske i Hrvatske matice iseljenika i u
prijevodu Zeljke Lovrencic, krajem 2003. godine objavljen je novi roman
poznatoga cileanskog pisca hrvatskog podrijetla Ramona Diaza Eterovica,
Sedmero Simenonove djece.
Ramon Diaz Eterovic rodjen je u Punta Arenasu, na krajnjem jugu Cilea 1956.
godine. Njegovi preci po majci dosli su u Cile s otoka Braca. Jedan je od
najvaznijih cileanskih knjizevnika – pjesnik, esejist, pisac pripovijetki i
romana. Neka od njegovih djela su: knjige poezije El poeta derribado
(Iscrpljeni pjesnik, 1980.) i Pasajero de la Ausencia (Prolaznik u
odsutnosti, 1982.); knjige pripovijedaka: Cualquier Dia (Bilo koji dan,
1981.), Obsesion de Ano Nuevo (Opsesija Novom godinom, 1982.), Atras sin
golpe (Natrag bez udarca, 1985.) i Ese viejo cuento de amar (Ta stara prica
o ljubavi, 1986.), te romani La ciudad esta triste (Grad je ozaloscen,
1987.), Solo en la oscuridad (Sam u tami, 1992.), Nadie sabe mas que los
muertos (Nitko ne zna vise od mrtvaca, 1993.), Angeles y solitarios (Andjeli
i osamljenici, 1995.), Correr tras el viento (Trcanje za vjetrom, 1997.),
Nunca enamores a un forastrero (Ne zaljubljuj se u stranca, 1999.) i El ojo
del alma (Oko duse, 2001.).
Dobitnik je tridesetak knjizevnih nagrada, poput one Vijeca za knjigu i
citanje za najbolju objavljenu knjigu 1995. godine ili Nagrade grada
Santiaga 1982., 1994. i 1996. godine. Bio je u finalu za nagradu Casa de las
Americas, Dashiell Hammett, Medjunarodnog udruzenja pisaca policijskih
romana i argentinske nagrade Planeta. Njegova su djela objavljena u
antologijama prica u Spanjolskoj, Juznoj Americi i Sjedinjenim Americkim
Drzavama, a prevodjen je na vise jezika, izmedju ostalih i na hrvatski. Bio
je predsjednik Drustva cileanskih knjizevnika. U cileansku knjizevnost uveo
je «crni roman». 1997. godine prvi put posjecuje Hrvatsku gdje je bio gost
Zagrebackih knjizevnih razgovora.
Sedmero Simenonove djece treci je roman ovoga knjizevnika koji se pojavljuje
kod nas. 1999. godine objavljen je njegov spijunski roman Trcanje za vjetrom
cija se radnja odvija u Punta Arenasu i glavni lik mu je Hrvat Yako Rendic,
a 2001. godine roman Ne zaljubljuj se u stranca, art-krimic u kojemu
detektiv Heredia pokusava rijesiti slucaj ubojstva jedne mlade zene. Radnja
se opet odvija u knjizevnikovome rodnom gradu Punta Arenasu. Roman Sedmero
Simenonove djece prvo je objavljen u Santiagu 2000. godine u izdanju
izdavacke kuce LOM, a potom u Barceloni 2001. godine u izdanju Seix
Barral-a. Glavni junak romana ponovno je samotan, marginalan, razocarani
detektiv Heredia koji ovaj put istrazuje slucaj ubojstva istaknutog
odvjetnika iza cega se skriva mracna drama vezana uz izgradnju plinovoda
izmedju Argentine i Cilea. Tu se ispreplicu i politicki i gospodarski
interesi koji narusavaju ekolosku ravnotezu. Privatni detektiv Heredia
istrazuje slucaj ubojstva, ali isto tako i cileansku stvarnost. Vracajuci se
s obale gdje je radio i ljetovao, prenoci u jednom hotelu u Santiagu gdje se
dogadja ubojstvo. Buduci da njega okrivljuju za to ubojstvo, odlcuje otkriti
sto stoji iza toga. Heredia je profinjeni detektiv koji jako dobro poznaje
knjizevnost i ima izvrstan glazbeni ukus, a citati poznatih knjizevnika
cesto se ponavljaju u stalnim razgovorima s njegovim mackom Simenonom koji
je zapravo njegova savjest. Citatelju se nudi romanticna i cinicna atmosfera
u isto vrijeme, dok je on sam istovremeno i njezan i grub. Uz macka Simenona
koji postaje samohrani otac, tu su i prodavac novina Anselmo, Heredijin
susjed i prijatelj, prorocica Madam Zara koja se zainteresirala za Herediju,
ali se kasnije udaje za Anselma, Amerikanac Ballinger, novinar Cambell i
citav niz drugih zanimljivih likova. Heredia stanuje u stanu koji mu je
ujedno i ured, u jednoj od starih gradskih cetvrti u sredistu grada. U tom
dijelu ima mnogo barova, trgovina, restorana i nocu je dosta opasno. Ova
gradska cetvrt privlacila je knjizevnike - boeme 20 i 30 godina proslog
stoljeca i tu su cesto boravili cileanski knjizevnici (medju ostalima i
Pablo Neruda). Lik Heredije prvi put se pojavljuje u romanu Grad je
ozaloscen, a njegove se pustolovine nastavljaju u sedam ostalih romana.
Heredia obozava svoj grad, njegove tradicionalne cetvrti i ljude koji zive u
njima. Melankolican je i senzibilan, i duboko su ga pogodili dogadjaji za
vrijeme diktature u Cileu. Njegov najveci prijatelj i ponekad jedino drustvo
je bijeli macak Simenon koji je ime dobio po belgijskom piscu, tvorcu
slavnoga inspektora Maigreta. Macak je Heredijino drugo ja, s njim vodi duge
razgovore koji mu pomazu kad razmislja o egzistencijalnim problemima ili
trazi rjesenje zlocina koje istrazuje. Simenon se pojavio u drugom
Eterovicevom romanu Sam u tami, objavljenom 1992. godine u Buenos Airesu.
Dosao je u Heredijin stan - ured, smjestio se na primjerke sabranih djela
Georgesa Simenona, te zaspao. U prvim romanima u kojima se macak pojavljuje,
Heredia ne zamislja dijaloge s njim, ali od pojave djela Nitko ne zna vise
od mrtvaca, njihovi su razgovori obimniji i postaju znacajni za razvoj
radnje romana Diaza Eterovica koji rado priznaje utjecaj Georgesa Simenona,
i Osvalda Soriana na njegovo stvaralastvo. Osjeca se i utjecaj klasicnih
sjevernoamerickih majstora detekcijske proze Dashiella Hammeta i Raymonda
Chandlera. Heredia je slican Chandlerov liku Philu Marlowu koji je isto kao
i on samac u godinama, pomalo rezigniran, neurednog zivota, sklon alkoholu i
cinizmu. Ali, kod Diaza Eterovica je razvidno da se on sluzi
sjevernoamerickom detekcijskom pricom samo kao podlogom za postmodernisticko
pripovijedanje i za koristenje brojnih citata iz suvremene svjetske i
cileanske knjizevnosti. Privatni detektiv je srediste svijesti i na neki
nacin alter ego ovoga povucenog i sutljivog pisca koji u njegovim romanima
postoji vec 17 godina. Heredijina pesimisticka vizija cileanske stvarnosti
proizlazi iz piscevog vidjenja i mnogi dijalozi izgledaju kao da su
preneseni iz nekoga bara u Santiagu. Diz Eterovic nam cesto nudi citavu
galeriju pitoresknih likova i mjesta grada Santiaga koje koristi za svoju
igru. U romanu Sedmero Simenonove djece Herediju zapravo najvise zanimaju
korupcija i bahatost onih koji su na vlasti (u ovom slucaju sve se vrti oko
izgradnje plinovoda) i nimalo ne vjeruje u pobjedu pravde na zemlji. Taj
lik, iako razocaran, cinican i sentimentalan, iako zivi od nepostojecih
uspomena i ne polaze mnogo racuna na svoj izgled, ipak ima svoja sitna
zadovoljstva: putuje na obalu, juri za djevojkama i od Anselma dobiva na
poklon automobil koji je nekad bio posljednji model. Njihova zajednicka
strast su konjske utrke. Heredia posjecuje barove, ulice i trgove Santiaga
koji pomalo nestaju i nostalgicno zali za njima. zali i za svojom znatno
mladjom djevojkom Grisetom koja ga nakon nekog vremena provedenog s njim
napusta jer ne moze pratiti njegov ritam.

Ovaj roman nije samo napeta kriminalisticka prica nego i prikaz jednoga
prostora, jednog vremena, jednog zemljovida, te kritika politickoga i
drustvenog zivota velikoga juznoamerickog grada Santiaga po cijim ulicama
koraca pomalo izgubljeni detektiv Heredia, moderni Robin Hood koji nema
drugo drustvo osim svog macka i prodavaca novina. Taj privatni detektiv bez
imena, antijunak i anarhist, simbol je citave jedne generacije
traumatizirane posljedicama diktature, a iza njegove vjecne spremnosti za
nove avanture krije se piscevo veliko zanimanje za socijalnu problematiku i
kritiku drustva. Ovo zabavno, ali ne i povrsno djelo privuklo je pozornost
siroke citalacke populacije sirom svijeta i nadamo se da ce i hrvatska
publika koja Diaz Eterovic toliko cijeni uzivati u njemu i da cemo imati
prigodu ponovno se susresti s Heredijom koji ce uz pomoc svojega macka
razrjesavati jos mnoge dileme.