Blanka Raguz was born in a historic town of Pozega, Croatia. She developed an interest for writing at a young age and nurtured it by keeping diaries and recording everyday life of then communist Yugoslavia. Her ambition was to break away from the communist propaganda that surrounded her and that she resented and to experience complete freedom of expression in the United States.
Raguz arrived in New York in 1987 and immediately felt a sense of belonging in the one-of-a-kind metropolis, eventually earning a B.A in Fine Arts from New York University and making a life-long commitment to writing screenplays and stories.
The Labyrinth is Raguz’s first novel. Although a work of fiction, the story is based and inspired by true events, namely the Croatian war for independence and the fall of the legendary town of Vukovar in 1991. The story also grew out of the author’s compassion for the defenders of Vukovar, which was sacrificed for the country’s freedom.
Raguz lives in Astoria, New York and continues to find inspiration in the cultural and historic heritage of both her Croatian homeland and her adopted new home, New York. She is currently working on another novel.