Danilo Kiš

Composed of seven dark tales, A Tomb for Boris Davidovich presents variations on the theme of political and social self-destruction throughout Eastern Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. The characters in these stories are caught in a world of political hypocrisy, which ultimately leads to death, their common fate. Although the stories Kis tells are based on historical events, the beauty and precision of his prose elevates these ostensibly true stories into works of literary art that transcend the politics of their time.

An entrancing, otherworldly collection of short stories from one of Europe's most accomplished 20th century writers, new to Penguin Modern ClassicsA counter-prophet attempts the impossible to prove his power; a girl sees the hideous fate of her sisters and father in a mirror bought from a gypsy; the death of a prostitute causes an unanticipated uprising; and the lives of every ordinary person since 1789 are recreated in the almighty Encyclopedia of the Dead. These stories about love and death, truth and lies, myth and reality range across many epochs and settings. Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, epic and miniature, horror and comedy, this was Danilo Kiš final work, published in Serbo-Croatian in 1983.Kiš is one of the great European writers of the post-war period - GuardianCompulsively readable - Daily Telegraph Fantasy chases reality and reality chases fantasy. Pirandello and Borges are not far away. But these names are intended as approximate references. Kiš is a new, original writer - Times Literary Supplement Intense and exotic, his mysteries hint at unspeakable secrets that remain forever beyond the story-teller's grasp - Boyd TonkinDanilo Kiš was born in the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1935. After an unsettled childhood during the Second World War, in which several of his family members were killed, Kiš studied literature at the University of Belgrade where he lived for most of his adult life. He wrote novels, short stories and poetry and went on to receive the prestigious NIN Award for his novel Pešcanik. He died in Paris in 1989.

Rani jadi je zbirka kratkih prica vidjena ocima deteta. Iako objavljena posle knjiga basta i pepeo napisana je prije.

In Yugoslavia during the Second World War, young Andi Scham and his beleaguered family are constantly moving and searching for refuge. Yet the physical hardships of the world do not intrude on Andi's adolescent world of vivid observation and imaginative withdrawals. From his memories emerges the wondrous story of his father, Eduard Scham--the Wandering Jew, Don Quixote, red-eyed, crazed, drunk, bellicose, a man who recedes from life and then disappears in the Holocaust.Andi's search for his father is a poetic, lyrical remembrance of things past. The celebrated Serbian writer Danilo Kis has blended bits of realism, snatches of dreams, and echoes of his own consciousness as a child to shape this magical and memorable novel.

The Attic is Danilo Kiš’s first novel. Written in 1960, published in 1962, and set in contemporary Belgrade, it explores the relationship of a young man, known only as Orpheus, to the art of writing; it also tracks his relationship with a colorful cast of characters with nicknames such as Eurydice, Mary Magdalene, Tam-Tam,and Billy Wise Ass. Rich with references to music, painting, philosophy, and gastronomy, this bohemian Bildungsroman is a laboratory of technique and style for the young Kiš—at once a depiction of life in literary Belgrade, a register of stylistic devices and themes that would recur throughout Kiš’s oeuvre, and an account of one young man’s quest to find a way to balance his life, his loves, and his art.

Danilo Kiš was one of the most artful and eloquent writers of postwar Europe. Of all his books, Hourglass, the account of the final months in one man's life before he is sent to a concentration camp, is considered to be his masterpiece.

'For once there had been false idols and asses' heads drawn on the walls...' Sleepers awake in a remote cave and the ancient mystic Simon Magus attempts a miracle, in these two magical, otherworldly tales from one of the greatest voices of twentieth-century Europe.

Written when he was only twenty-five, before embarking on the masterpieces that would make him an integral figure in twentieth-century letters, Psalm 44 shows Kiš at his most lyrical and unguarded, demonstrating that even in “the place of dragons... covered with the shadow of death,”there can still be poetry. Featuring characters based on actual inmates and warders—including the abominable Dr. Mengele—Psalm 44 is a baring of many of the themes, patterns, and preoccupations Kiš would return to in future, albeit never with the same starkness or immediacy.

Written between 1980 and 1986, the six stories that constitute "The Lute and the Scars" (as well as an untitled piece by the author, included here as "A and B") were transcribed from the manuscripts left by Danilo Kiš following his death in 1989. Like the title story, many of these texts are autobiographical. Others resurrect protagonists belonging to Kiš's fellow Central European novelists, allowing readers to identify, perhaps, depending on the level of obfuscation, fantasy, and historical accuracy, figures dreamed up by ?d?n von Horv?th and Endre Ady ("The Stateless"), by the Yugoslavian Nobel laureate Ivo Andric ("Debt"), and by Piotr Rawicz. Against a background of oppressive regimes and political exile, readers will find that the never-ending debate between death and writing continues unabated in these stories--death as allegory or as a voluntary symbolic act, and writing as the one impregnable defense, writing as the only possible means of survival.

Čas anatomije je proistekao iz velike polemike koju je Danilo Kiš vodio krajem sedmadesetih godina povodom svoje knjiga novela Grobnica za Borisa Davidoviča.

Serbian writer Danilo Kis was preoccupied with man's dehumanization in a mechanized, totalitarian world. His dazzling fiction established him as one of the most artful and eloquent authors of postwar Europe. In this first collection of his non-fiction, Kis displays the dynamic, sensitive, and insistently questioning approach to the dilemmas of the modern world that distinguishes his novels and stories and confirms his reputation as one of the most important voices of our time.

Los tres libros que Kis reunió en este Circo familiar fueron publicados por separado en distintas etapas de su trayectoria. Comparten, sin embargo, impulso y tema. Penas precoces puede describirse, parafraseando al propio Kis, como el cuaderno de notas a color de un niño extraordinariamente sensible, colección de instantáneas sin orden cronológico en las que la infancia se convierte en un mundo. Esto último serviría también para describir Jardín, ceniza, añadiendo, quizás, que ese mundo infantil, en el que los planos real e imaginario se solapan con perfecta naturalidad, se inscribe en unas circunstancias históricas que, sin hacerse explícitas, determinan en profundidad el tono de la evocación: la Segunda Guerra Mundial y la masacre de judíos y serbios de la Voivodina a manos del fascismo húngaro. Por último, El reloj de arena es un collage polifónico de enorme intensidad dramática. Aquí, el protagonista es el padre del escritor, un hombre de personalidad extraordinaria, retratado en la última fase de su crisis vital. Conmovedora y bellísima, la «novela de formación» que resulta del encuentro de estos libros en una trilogía, se nos aparece como una de las más relevantes obras literarias del siglo xx.

Un jeune homme retrouve son ancienne institutrice avec laquelle il se met à évoquer leurs souvenirs communs, découvrant, en un raccourci vertigineux, tout un pan de l'histoire de l'Europe centrale pendant la période cruciale de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.Au lendemain des événements de juin 1968 en Yougoslavie, un jeune homme bavard, sensible, loufoque, s'introduit dans l'appartement d'une " bourgeoise rouge ", raide et conventionnelle qui, le premier moment de frayeur passé, n'hésitera pas à " faire feu de toutes ses armes ".Un vieil asthmatique, ancien déporté, soutient matériellement et moralement un jeune homme dont toute la famille a disparu dans les camps et qui essaie d'écrire " un livre sur la souffrance " sans y parvenir.La vie (mythique?) du révolutionnaire soviétique Boris Davidovitch Novski est déroulée en dix-neuf tableaux et un épilogue, événements familiaux et réminiscences de la Russie tsariste alternant avec des épisodes liés à l'univers concentrationnaire et à la terreur stalinienne.Quatre pièces au style concis, mêlant ironie et poésie, où l'on retrouve les grandes préoccupations de Danilo Kis : réflexion sur la mémoire, sur la création littéraire, sur le destin de l'individu dans la machine meurtrière engendrée par l'oppression totalitaire.Danilo Kis (1935-1989), écrivain yougoslave, a passé les dix dernières années de sa vie à Paris. Styliste remarquable, il aborde dans son oeuvre, tantôt par le biais de l'autobiographie, tantôt dans ses récits de " fiction document ", les grands thèmes de ce siècle, en particulier l'oppression totalitaire, tant dans le nazisme que dans le communisme. Il a reçu en 1980 le Grand Aigle d'Or de la ville de Nice. Parmi ses oeuvres, Un tombeau pour Boris Davidovitch; Sablier; Jardin, cendre; Chagrins précoces; Encyclopédie des morts; la Mansarde; Homo poeticus; la Leçon d'anatomie; le Luth et les cicatrices; le Résidu amer de l'expérience.

Serbo-Croation

Sabrane pesme Danila Kiša od njegovih ranih stihova, preko poznate pesmer “Đubrište”, do provokativne poeme “Pesnik revoluciuje na predsedničkom brodu” i pesama koje je napisao u poslednjim mesecima i nedeljama svog života stavljajući tačku na jednu neuporedivu životnu i književnu avanturu.Najpoznatija Kišova drama Elektra, napisana 1968. godine, kada je i izvedena u Ateljeu 212.Elektra u novom ključu, kao jedna od osnovnih drama modernog doba.

Serbo-Croation

ZAŠTO PIŠEM?Pisanje je vokacija, mutacija gena, hromozoma; pisac se postaje kao što se postaje davitelj. Pišem jer ne znam ništa drugo da radim; jer od svega što bih mogao da radim, ovo radim najbolje i (I hope) bolje od drugih. Pisanje je taština. Taština koja mi se ponekad čini manje ništavnom od drugih oblika egzistencije. Pišem, dakle, jer sam nezadovoljan sobom i svetom. I da bih iskazao to nezadovoljstvo. Da bih preživeo![Les écrivains répondent: POURQUOI ECRIVEZ-VOUS ? – Paris: Le Journal Libération, 1985]

Izabrani eseji Danila Kiša obuhvataju vremenski raspon od njegovih ranih tekstova do tekstova iz njegove književne zaostavštine."Poslednje pribežište zdravog razuma" donosi reprezentativan izbor tekstova iz Kišovih knjiga od "Po-etike" i "Homo Poeticus-a" do knjiga "Život, literatura", "Skladište" i "Varia".Predstavljajući vrhove Kišovog eseja, knjiga "Poslednje pribežište zdravog razuma" pokazuje nesvakidašnju snagu Kišove esejistike u kojoj ovaj pisac postavlja osnovna pitanja književnosti svog vremena: od smisla i uloge književnosti, preko pitanja njene verodostojnosti, do pitanja oblikovanja temeljnih pitanja konkretnog ljudskog vremena u književnom tekstu.Knjiga u kojoj Kiš odgovara na pitanje: „Zašto pišem?“ i u kojoj Kiš kaže koja su dva ključna pitanja na kojima polažu ispit svi pisci XX veka.

Serbo-Croation

«Книга любові і смерті» Данила Кіша у високохудожньому перекладі Алли Татаренко – найповніше на сьогодні зібрання творів сербського письменника українською мовою, яке яскраво представляє не тільки його творчу спадщину, а й нові здобутки сербської модерної прози у світовій літературі. До збірки увійшли три збірки оповідань майстра: «Енциклопедія мертвих», «Гробниця для Бориса Давидовича» та «Лютня і шрами». Політ фантазії Данила Кіша вражає і задаровує. Широко використовуючи різні стилі письма, митець змальовує людей біблійних часів і наших сучасників з такою силою і переконливістю, що вони здаються створені з плоті і духу. В оповіданнях сербського письменника прихильно зображено й українців та Україну.

Israele, marzo 1989. Danilo Kiš intervista, per un documentario diretto dall’amico Aleksandar Mandic´, due donne ebree Jenny Lebl ed Eva Nahir.Jenny, all’epoca dell’occupazione tedesca della Jugoslavia, è arrestata, torturata e ben presto trasferita in una prigione della Gestapo. ll 20 aprile 1945 – il giorno del compleanno di Hitler – viene condannata a morte. Ma i russi sono ormai alle porte di Berlino e nel lager avviene un vero e proprio “Siete libere!”, le parole più belle mai sentite pronunciare in tedesco. Tornata a Belgrado si iscrive alla Facoltà di Giurisprudenza e inizia a collaborare con il rinomato quotidiano “Politika”. Sembra che tutto vada finalmente per il meglio quando, dopo aver raccontato una barzelletta su Tito, Jenny è arrestata e condotta nel campo di prigionia dell’Isola nuda (Goli otok), dove rimarrà dall’aprile 1949 all’ottobre 1951. Dopo infinite umiliazioni Jenny, una volta liberata, emigrerà in Israele, dove, nella primavera del 1986, avviene l’incontro con un’altra ex detenuta di Goli otok, Eva Nahir, e con Danilo Kiš, che decide di raccontare la loro storia.

Ce recueil rassemble des textes de jeunesse de Danilo Kiš, écrits et publiés durant ses années d’études en littérature comparée et la première décennie de son activité d’écrivain : des articles, qui permettent de reconstituer le climat artistique de l’époque (métier d’écrivain, goûts du public, réflexions socio-esthétiques) ; des essais, où se dessine clairement la figure du rebelle confronté au « statut ontologique du monde » et où la poésie occupe une place importante ; des nouvelles, esquisses de ses futurs romans ; des interviews, qui soulignent la sensibilité de Kiš aux phénomènes de violence idéologique de notre temps, en particulier à l’antisémitisme.Aux lecteurs familiers de son œuvre, ces textes offrent un subtil « portrait de l’artiste en jeune homme ». Aux autres, ils donneront envie de découvrir ce qu’a produit une telle énergie intellectuelle chez un jeune écrivain libre et radical, à une époque troublée de l’histoire de cette partie de l’Europe.

The twelve stories in this collection, published in various journals and newspapers in Yugoslavia between 1953 and 1967, provide fascinating insights into the development of Danilo Kis as a writer. From lapidary childhood idylls to harrowing foreshadowings of the Holocaust, from a satirical treatment of totalitarianism to a philosophical reflection on perception and form, the subject matter is remarkably varied. The highly unusual title story is even set amidst the U.S. civil rights struggles of the 20th century, and several of the tales are redolent of science fiction.

Ovaj izbor sadrži eseje koji svedoče o Kišovom obrazovanju, erudiciji i besprekornom talentu i oštrom peru. ( Mit o Prometeju, Trijumf smeha, Jedna šetnja gospodina Maka, Nojev kovčeg, Flober i Borhes, Nabokov ili nostalgija, Šarl Bodler; Zašto pišem, O inspiraciji, Ljubav i literatura, Homo Poeticus uprkos svemu; Stvaralačka pustolovina, O simbolizmu, Varijacije na srednjoevropske teme, Romani na dlanu; Serenata Miloša Crnjanskog, O Andrićevoj Gospođici, Radomir Reljić, Ešerov uvrnuti valjak, O Markizu de Sadu samo su neki od naslova eseja u ovom izboru.)

Ediciju Zajednička čitaonica čine tekstovi pisaca i spisateljica koji su pisali ili pišu na zajedničkom jeziku, bez obzira na to da li su svoj jezik nazivali ili nazivaju bosanskim, crnogorskim, hrvatskim ili srpskim, ili za njega koriste ili su koristili neki drugi naziv. Njihov rad stvorio je i stvara zajedničku riznicu u koju je pristup moguć bez jezičkih poteškoća i prevođenja. U toj riznici pronalazimo i iznova promišljamo nezaobilazne tekstove na ključne teme današnjice, a te radove, iz bliske ili dalje prošlosti, prate odgovori savremenih spisateljica i spisatelja pisani specijalno za ovu ediciju. Cilj Zajedničke čitaonice, dakle, jeste stvaranje pojmovnika koji će čitatelju omogućiti ne samo lakše snalaženje u susretu s aktuelnim problemima i pojavama već i vrhunski književni užitak.