The Appointment: A Novel by Herta MüllerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Though this is not one of my favourite books by Herta Müller, I still recommend it. It is representative for her style, which I personally find breathtaking. It is strong and sharp, expressing sadness, frustration and even a kind of guilt of living within an oppressive regime, like that one of Ceausescu. A regime that forced people to become cowards and to renounce their humanity; and those who cared about their conscience remained alone, very alone, isolated, unable to rely on somebody or something. Herta Müller does not forgive anyone, including herself. But what makes Müller to be a very special writer, in my opinion, is not only her obsession (with Securitate and Ceausescu), but her incredible force of playing with words, weaving them, creating wonderful and fresh associations, transforming ugliness in beauty. My favourite readings by her are “Nadirs” (a collection of short stories), “The King Bows and Kills” (essays about her youth in Banat), “Everything I possessed I Carry With Me” (what a cruel disappointment to find out that her best friend, the poet Oskar Pastior, who inspired her in writing this novel, had been a collaborationist himself!) and “Travelling on One Leg” (a very touching story about her experience in West Berlin, after her emigration from Romania). Her “collage” books with poems are very interesting as well …and very creative!
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3 comments:
Da, și eu cred că nota ei definitorie este această poezie suprapusă peste poveste sau prin care este spusă povestea. Este o manieră feminină de exprimare, care contrastează de obicei cu duritatea faptelor descrise: masacrul privit prin ochiurile unei dantele.
Eh, nu chiar dantela :) Scrisul ei, spune eu, n-are nimic diafan; e mai degraba aspru, ascutit, pietros. Frumusetea vine cred din fascinatia asocierilor paradoxale: ochi de mort-cirese, rigole si canale- picioare de femeie invaluite in matasea ciorapilor cu dunga. E o frumusete brutala, morbida!
Anda draga, nu iti mai vizitasem cam de multisor biblioteca :sunt absoult impresioanta!!! Si inspirata !!Va trebui sa-mi dau ragaz sa rasfoiesc mai indelung pe aici pe la tine!m-am oprit la Herta Muller ,de drag:)),dar as fi putut poposi oriunde , ai postat o mare gramada de comori!!revin- cu creionul in mana:))!!!
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