Društvo hrvatskih književnika / Croatian Writers' Association

The Croatian Writers' Association is a non-party, non-governmental and non-political association of Croatian writers. It was founded on April 22nd 1900. The CWA is not the only Croatian association of writers but it is the oldest of its kind in Croatia. The Croatian Writers' Association, headed at its inception by Ivan Vitez Trnski, a leading poet of the time, has gathered since then all Croatian writers: poets, novelists, story tellers, playwrights, essayists, theorists of art and literature. Currently it has 522 members, some of whom live outside Croatia. Membership in the Association is voluntary. Any writer who has published at least three books can become a member of the Association, as long as his books have had noted reception. During its hundred and ten year history, it has remained an independent organization of Croatian intellectuals, who have safeguarded the values of Croatian language and culture. The CWA is headed by a managing body elected by the assembly, with a three year period of office. This managing body is headed by the president. All the managerial bodies of the Association are today elected through a secret ballot, as it was the case in the past. The main activities of the Association are of a cultural nature. Another important task of the Association is to provide writers with a framework for a kind of union activity in accordance with Croatian legal system. Thus the Association is concerned with the financial well-being of its members and their moral and material rights.