Jay CeeBunjevac, Nina. 'Fatherland'. Jonathan Cape, 2014.
-
Sad and bleak, like all Soviet memoir seems to be (I wonder why, not really, but y'know). A family memoir sprinkled with a history lesson. Before reading this, I knew almost nothing about Yugoslavia and its history concerning ethnic strife between Serbs and Croats. I know a little bit more now and it's surprising. You can really blame Christianity and foreign imperial powers for solidifying what is essentially an entirely fictitious divide between two peoples who were one people prior to meddling and colonisation by subsequent waves of conquering dickheads.
-
'Fatherland' is short, punchy, and weaves a narrative that leaves the reader with unanswered questions. Did Nina's father find a way out like her mother requested, by orchestrating an accident while manufacturing explosives? Sure, seems like it. I like to think he chose family in his last moments.
-
But ending it where she did, while suitable for the story being told, left me dissatisfied. What happened to Nina, Sarah, and Petey? And their mother and grandmother? I'll have to go looking for answers to these questions.
-
Though it's a short book, it touches on a lot. Yugoslavia's expulsion from the Cominform for criticizing Stalin, the Orwellian climate of fear and recrimination under the Soviets, a daughter seeking a fuller accounting of her father's decisions and demise. Graphic novels are a great medium for memoir. Sacco's 'Palestine' and Spiegelman's 'Maus' come to mind.
-
#anarchism #anarchist #anarchistreadinglist #ninabunjevac #fatherland #jonathancape #yugoslavia #canada #WW2 #tito #stalin #communism #sovietunion #cominform
-
Sad and bleak, like all Soviet memoir seems to be (I wonder why, not really, but y'know). A family memoir sprinkled with a history lesson. Before reading this, I knew almost nothing about Yugoslavia and its history concerning ethnic strife between Serbs and Croats. I know a little bit more now and it's surprising. You can really blame Christianity and foreign imperial powers for solidifying what is essentially an entirely fictitious divide between two peoples who were one people prior to meddling and colonisation by subsequent waves of conquering dickheads.
-
'Fatherland' is short, punchy, and weaves a narrative that leaves the reader with unanswered questions. Did Nina's father find a way out like her mother requested, by orchestrating an accident while manufacturing explosives? Sure, seems like it. I like to think he chose family in his last moments.
-
But ending it where she did, while suitable for the story being told, left me dissatisfied. What happened to Nina, Sarah, and Petey? And their mother and grandmother? I'll have to go looking for answers to these questions.
-
Though it's a short book, it touches on a lot. Yugoslavia's expulsion from the Cominform for criticizing Stalin, the Orwellian climate of fear and recrimination under the Soviets, a daughter seeking a fuller accounting of her father's decisions and demise. Graphic novels are a great medium for memoir. Sacco's 'Palestine' and Spiegelman's 'Maus' come to mind.
-
#anarchism #anarchist #anarchistreadinglist #ninabunjevac #fatherland #jonathancape #yugoslavia #canada #WW2 #tito #stalin #communism #sovietunion #cominform
Carmilla On Line - Rss Bot
fantastischeantike