摘要：On many occasions a literary work can provide useful information about folk life and customs of the past. However, a novel by Istrian poet and writer, academic and PhD, Mate Balota, "Tight Land" provides such facts on every page, and it can be taken as a monograph of the village of Rakalj which has been described in his novel. In this novel there is a description of the area and its inhabitants, types and characteristics of its farms, descriptions of houses and thier farm-buildings, presentations of costumes, annual and life-long customs of folklore (from oral creations to music and dance). All changes which occur as the result of the breaking in of industrialization have been descri¬bed in this novel. Although the novel is the result of the lite¬rary creation of an artist, all data in it are true as they have been taken from real life in the village of Rakalj at the beginning of this century.
