Veljko Hlače

(Person, Yugoslavia)

The librarian in kombinat's library, which was located in the same yard as the kantina, next to the sugar refinery gates. He probably got the job some time around 1965, because I remember an older guy being there before, when I was already a regular reader. He'd actually talk with me, show me whatever I wanted. There were samples of various products of kombinat behind the little glass panes inserted between the bookshelves, including the rods of crystal sugar, which were probably chopped into cubes before packing, then chunks from "potato sugar" (actually made of corn) from the starchery, sunflower seeds etc. And the old Underwood typewriter, cyrillic (one of two such I ever saw, the other one being in the dispanzer).

He was probably an unhappy guy. The one time I visited his place, in the old novogradnja behind the park, just a block away from his work, he was sort of drunk and his place was a mess. It actually stank. I refused with "thanks, I'm driving" (bicycle, of course), which was later retold a few times.

He was a house friend of ours - visited frequently, went with us to Hungary a few times, played cards with my parents (can't remember who was the fourth, but perhaps that was the time they started playing remi instead of tablić, which doesn't require an even number of players.

He died somewhere between 1969 and 1971, suicide. Whether it was suicide by alcohol or not, I wouldn't know and didn't want to ask.


Mentions: 28-VIII-1967., april 1968., 24-VIII-1968., 18-V-1969., dispanzer, Kantina, kombinat, novogradnja, remi, tablić, in serbian