Davor Piskač is a full professor at the Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb. His research and professional work connects literary theory, teaching methodology, cognitive narratology, emotions and literary bibliotherapy.
In the project, he is responsible for the overall research concept, methodological framework, coordination of the research team, development of research instruments and interpretation of results.
His particular interests are therapeutic and emotional reading, conceptual metaphors and the application of literature in educational and clinical settings.
Project and professional activities
Connecting literary interpretation with emotional reflection and readers’ personal experience, he has delivered:
- 10 bibliotherapy workshops at the Ogulin City Library and Reading Room
- 6 workshops at Fran Galović Grammar School in Koprivnica
- more than 20 workshops at the Božidar Adžija Library in Zagreb
The workshops focused on reflective reading, emotional interpretation of literature, conceptual metaphors and connections between texts and readers’ personal experiences.
He was an invited speaker at the 8th Slovenian Psychiatric Congress, held in Portorož in November 2025. There he presented a bibliotherapy approach connecting literature, emotions and psychiatric practice in the paper “Biblioterapija v teoriji in praksi” (“Bibliotherapy in Theory and Practice”).
In May 2026, at the Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Clinic in Zagreb, he and Danijela Šago, MD, PhD, delivered the lecture “Bibliotherapy in a Day Hospital: Clinical Framework and Application”. It presented the clinical framework of literary bibliotherapy, work with conceptual metaphors, emotion elicitation (encouraging and recognising emotional responses) and possible connections between bibliotherapy and the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy.
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Professor Davor Piskač has delivered a series of bibliotherapy workshops in libraries, schools and higher education institutions, connecting literary interpretation with emotional reflection and readers’ personal experiences. More than 70 participants took part in these programmes, demonstrating the wide range of potential applications of bibliotherapy in educational, cultural and professional settings.
At the Ogulin City Library and Reading Room, he delivered ten workshops based on Rumena Bužarovska’s short-story collection Nikamo ne idem (I’m Not Going Anywhere). Work with these texts focused on recognising emotional conflicts, relationships between characters and life situations beneath everyday, often ironic narratives. Through discussion and reflective tasks, participants connected literary motifs with their own experiences. Reading thus became a space for a deeper understanding of themselves and others.
At Fran Galović Grammar School in Koprivnica, he delivered six workshops based on the novel The Wizard of Oz. The novel provided a starting point for discussing fear, courage, belonging, self-confidence and personal resources. Its symbolic characters and the protagonist’s journey enabled students to read the literary text both as an adventure story and as a metaphor for personal development.
More than twenty workshops at the Božidar Adžija Library in Zagreb were based on Alessandro Baricco’s novel Ocean Sea. Particular attention was given to the characters’ emotional states, the symbolism of the sea, feelings of loss, change and inner transformation. Sustained work with the same literary text enabled progressively deeper interpretation and the development of more complex forms of narrative and emotional reflection.
Piskač also delivered the workshop “Bibliotherapy in Theory and Practice” at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek. The workshop connected the theoretical foundations of bibliotherapy with practical methods, showing how literary texts can be used in education, culture and professional work with different groups of participants.
He also presented his bibliotherapy work in an international professional context. As an invited speaker, he participated in the 8th Slovenian Psychiatric Congress, held from 13 to 15 November 2025 at the St. Bernardin Convention Centre in Portorož. In the paper “Biblioterapija v teoriji in praksi” (“Bibliotherapy in Theory and Practice”), he presented an approach connecting literature, emotions and psychiatric practice and showed how literary bibliotherapy can be applied in a professionally supervised therapeutic and psychoeducational setting.
On 7 May 2026, at the Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Clinic in Zagreb, he and Danijela Šago, MD, PhD, delivered the lecture “Bibliotherapy in a Day Hospital: Clinical Framework and Application”. The lecture marked five years of professional collaboration in the Day Hospital for Early Intervention and the Day Hospital for Psychotic Disorders. It presented the clinical framework of literary bibliotherapy, experience gained over several years of work with patients and methods for using literary texts in a therapeutic context. Particular attention was given to conceptual metaphors, emotion elicitation and possible connections between bibliotherapy and the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. The lecture demonstrated how literary interpretation, psychiatric practice, psychoeducation and therapeutic work can meet in the safe and professionally structured setting of a day hospital.
Project publications
“Conceptual Metaphors and Symbolic Modeling in Modern Bibliotherapy”
Published in the European Journal for Biblio/Poetry Therapy, 1(3), 2025.
Read the paper: https://poetrytherapy.eu/ejbpt/article/view/21
The scholarly and professional book Literarna biblioterapija u knjižnici / Priručnik za stručnu edukaciju knjižničara (Literary Bibliotherapy in the Library / A Handbook for the Professional Training of Librarians)
A peer-reviewed book prepared for publication as part of the project.
Publication by Zagreb City Libraries is expected during 2026.
