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Nobody's Home
A whole world seems to orbit within Nobody's Home. It's a world that looks familiar but strange.
Dubravka Ugresic takes us on her whirligig travels through Europe, and across to the US, offering her insightful and unique perspectives on literature, geopolitics, East and West. She wryly points out that while the Eastern bloc is gripped by Western modernization, the West is becoming increasingly Sovietized, with Internet banking, speed dating and automatic supermarket checkouts.
And she doesn't stop there. She's got something to say about everything from flea markets and souvenirs to celebrity and slavery, in this kaleidoscopic tour de force.
Translated by Ellen Elias-Bursac.
Dubravka Ugresic has been compared favourably with writers such as Vladimir Nabokov, Joseph Brodsky, Milan Kundera and Virginia Woolf, and has been awarded many prizes. She entered self-imposed exile when Croatia's late president, Franjo Tudjman, proclaimed Croatia to be 'paradise on earth' in the early 1990s.
Dubravka Ugresic takes us on her whirligig travels through Europe, and across to the US, offering her insightful and unique perspectives on literature, geopolitics, East and West. She wryly points out that while the Eastern bloc is gripped by Western modernization, the West is becoming increasingly Sovietized, with Internet banking, speed dating and automatic supermarket checkouts.
And she doesn't stop there. She's got something to say about everything from flea markets and souvenirs to celebrity and slavery, in this kaleidoscopic tour de force.
Translated by Ellen Elias-Bursac.
Dubravka Ugresic has been compared favourably with writers such as Vladimir Nabokov, Joseph Brodsky, Milan Kundera and Virginia Woolf, and has been awarded many prizes. She entered self-imposed exile when Croatia's late president, Franjo Tudjman, proclaimed Croatia to be 'paradise on earth' in the early 1990s.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
13 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
About the author
Dubravka Ugrešić
53 books646 followersDubravka Ugrešić was a Yugoslav, Croatian and Dutch writer. She left Croatia in 1993 and was based in Amsterdam since 1996. She described herself as "post-Yugoslav, transnational, or, even more precisely, postnational writer".
Dubravka Ugrešić earned her degrees in Comparative Literature, Russian Language and Literature at the University of Zagreb, and worked for twenty years at the Institute for Theory of Literature at Zagreb University, successfully pursuing parallel careers as a writer and a literary scholar.
She started writing professionally with screenplays for children’s television programs, as an undergraduate. In 1971 she published her first book for children Mali plamen, which was awarded a prestigious Croatian literary prize for children’s literature. Ugresic published two more books (Filip i Srecica, 1976; Kucni duhovi, 1988), and then gave up writing for children.
As a literary scholar Dubravka Ugrešić was particularly interested in Russian avant-garde culture. She was a co-editor of the international scholarly project Pojmovnik ruske avangarde, (A Glossary of the Russian Avangarde) for many years. She rediscovered forgotten Russian writers such as Konstantin Vaginov and Leonid Dobychin, and published a book on Russian contemporary fiction (Nova ruska proza, 1980). She translated fiction into Croatian from Russian (Boris Pilnyak, Gola godina; Daniil Kharms, Nule i nistice), and edited anthologies of both Russian contemporary and avant-garde writing (Pljuska u ruci, 1989).
Dubravka Ugrešić was best known in the former Yugoslavia for her fiction, novels and short stories: Poza za prozu, 1978; Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota, 1981; Zivot je bajka, 1983; Forsiranje romana reke, 1988.
Her novel Forsiranje romana reke was given the coveted NIN-award for the best novel of the year: Ugrešić was the first woman to receive this honor.
Croatian film director Rajko Grlic made a film U raljama zivota (1984) based on Ugrešić’s short novel Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota. Ugrešić co-authored the screenplay, as she did with screenplays for two other movies and a TV drama.
In 1991, when the war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, Ugrešić took a firm anti-nationalistic stand and consequently an anti-war stand. She started to write critically about nationalism (both Croatian and Serbian), the stupidity and criminality of war, and soon became a target of the nationalistically charged media, officials, politicians, fellow writers and anonymous citizens. She was proclaimed a “traitor”, a “public enemy” and a “witch” in Croatia, ostracized and exposed to harsh and persistent media harassment. She left her country of origin in 1993.
Dubravka Ugrešić continued writing since she began living abroad. She published novels (Muzej bezuvjetne predaje, Ministarstvo boli) and books of essays (Americki fikcionar, Kultura lazi, Zabranjeno citanje, Nikog nema doma).
Her books have been translated into more then twenty languages. Dubravka Ugrešić has received several major European literary awards. In 2016, Ugrešić won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
On March 17th of 2023, one of Europe's most distinctive essayists, Dubravka Ugrešić, died in Amsterdam at the age of 73.
Dubravka Ugrešić earned her degrees in Comparative Literature, Russian Language and Literature at the University of Zagreb, and worked for twenty years at the Institute for Theory of Literature at Zagreb University, successfully pursuing parallel careers as a writer and a literary scholar.
She started writing professionally with screenplays for children’s television programs, as an undergraduate. In 1971 she published her first book for children Mali plamen, which was awarded a prestigious Croatian literary prize for children’s literature. Ugresic published two more books (Filip i Srecica, 1976; Kucni duhovi, 1988), and then gave up writing for children.
As a literary scholar Dubravka Ugrešić was particularly interested in Russian avant-garde culture. She was a co-editor of the international scholarly project Pojmovnik ruske avangarde, (A Glossary of the Russian Avangarde) for many years. She rediscovered forgotten Russian writers such as Konstantin Vaginov and Leonid Dobychin, and published a book on Russian contemporary fiction (Nova ruska proza, 1980). She translated fiction into Croatian from Russian (Boris Pilnyak, Gola godina; Daniil Kharms, Nule i nistice), and edited anthologies of both Russian contemporary and avant-garde writing (Pljuska u ruci, 1989).
Dubravka Ugrešić was best known in the former Yugoslavia for her fiction, novels and short stories: Poza za prozu, 1978; Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota, 1981; Zivot je bajka, 1983; Forsiranje romana reke, 1988.
Her novel Forsiranje romana reke was given the coveted NIN-award for the best novel of the year: Ugrešić was the first woman to receive this honor.
Croatian film director Rajko Grlic made a film U raljama zivota (1984) based on Ugrešić’s short novel Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota. Ugrešić co-authored the screenplay, as she did with screenplays for two other movies and a TV drama.
In 1991, when the war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, Ugrešić took a firm anti-nationalistic stand and consequently an anti-war stand. She started to write critically about nationalism (both Croatian and Serbian), the stupidity and criminality of war, and soon became a target of the nationalistically charged media, officials, politicians, fellow writers and anonymous citizens. She was proclaimed a “traitor”, a “public enemy” and a “witch” in Croatia, ostracized and exposed to harsh and persistent media harassment. She left her country of origin in 1993.
Dubravka Ugrešić continued writing since she began living abroad. She published novels (Muzej bezuvjetne predaje, Ministarstvo boli) and books of essays (Americki fikcionar, Kultura lazi, Zabranjeno citanje, Nikog nema doma).
Her books have been translated into more then twenty languages. Dubravka Ugrešić has received several major European literary awards. In 2016, Ugrešić won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
On March 17th of 2023, one of Europe's most distinctive essayists, Dubravka Ugrešić, died in Amsterdam at the age of 73.
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October 11, 2025
3,5*
"El pesimismo se considera una de las peores debilidades, incluso urgarse la nariz en lugares públicos es más aceptable que el pesimismo público. El pesimismo y el fumar van juntos (...) Vivimos en tiempos en que nos obligan a comportarnos como si viviéramos en el paraíso. Este libro va contra todas las reglas de buena conducta: gruñe"
Se trata de un collage de mini ensayos muy lúcidos de la autora con respecto a los más variados temas: principalmente la posición de su país en el mundo (Croacia), el comportamiento y actitud de sus paisanos ante la vida, de los países llamados de Este y la rémora histórica del sometimiento a regímenes totalitarios, o la cruenta guerra de los Balcanes.
Saliéndose de ese panorama sociopolítico, Ugresic se pregunta sobre su posición en el mundo, su condición de emigrante y trotamundos desarraigada, sobre su condición de escritora y su posición frente a todo, la pesada carga de la identificación nacional y la relativa obligación de escribir sobre determinados temas, que le limitan su libertad creativa. Aquí se posiciona frente todo aquello que le llama la atención sin discriminar ningún tema por más peregrino o espinoso que éste sea: p.ej: su gusto por las maletas, por ir dejando el mundo regado de sus posesiones, de los libros de su biblioteca que va regalando por todos los destinos que habita. Sus opiniones sobre los jóvenes, sobre la globalización emergente a principios del presente siglo, sobre la tan temida “identidad” de las personas: identidad nacional, identidad de género, identidad política o religiosa, identidad congénita frente a cualquier cosa: identidad frente a integridad, a esta última palabra si que le da valor frente al absurdo de la “identidad” del tipo que sea.
"Los entusiastas viajan con vuelos baratos a todos los destinos, atascan los aeropuertos, arrastran a sus mocosos tras de si, se abren camino a codazos en museos, galerías y exposiciones, se apilan en la Capilla Sixtina, emitiendo sonidos colectivos de asombro, corren por los MOMA americanos y europeos, trepan por el Himalaya...compran si criterio, admiran a sus dioses y diosas mediáticas, se reproducen, abonan regularmente las cuotas de su seguro funerario y mueren"
"Los escépticos bajan el tempo y poco a poco se desenganchan, se dan de baja de todo lo que estaban abonados, desenchufar los teléfonos y la televisión por cable...Mientras que los primeros, los entusiastas, son adoradores del mercado y de su ideología, los segundos son desertores del frente laboral, silenciosos defensores del movimiento antimercado"
Y sobre todo habla de Europa, Europa, Europa...del Este y del Oeste, del Sur y del Norte, la historia y expectativas, las migraciones de un sitio para otro dentro de esta Europa convulsa y guerrera.
Ha ido de menos a más, y he acabo leyéndolo con bastante gusto.
"El pesimismo se considera una de las peores debilidades, incluso urgarse la nariz en lugares públicos es más aceptable que el pesimismo público. El pesimismo y el fumar van juntos (...) Vivimos en tiempos en que nos obligan a comportarnos como si viviéramos en el paraíso. Este libro va contra todas las reglas de buena conducta: gruñe"
Se trata de un collage de mini ensayos muy lúcidos de la autora con respecto a los más variados temas: principalmente la posición de su país en el mundo (Croacia), el comportamiento y actitud de sus paisanos ante la vida, de los países llamados de Este y la rémora histórica del sometimiento a regímenes totalitarios, o la cruenta guerra de los Balcanes.
Saliéndose de ese panorama sociopolítico, Ugresic se pregunta sobre su posición en el mundo, su condición de emigrante y trotamundos desarraigada, sobre su condición de escritora y su posición frente a todo, la pesada carga de la identificación nacional y la relativa obligación de escribir sobre determinados temas, que le limitan su libertad creativa. Aquí se posiciona frente todo aquello que le llama la atención sin discriminar ningún tema por más peregrino o espinoso que éste sea: p.ej: su gusto por las maletas, por ir dejando el mundo regado de sus posesiones, de los libros de su biblioteca que va regalando por todos los destinos que habita. Sus opiniones sobre los jóvenes, sobre la globalización emergente a principios del presente siglo, sobre la tan temida “identidad” de las personas: identidad nacional, identidad de género, identidad política o religiosa, identidad congénita frente a cualquier cosa: identidad frente a integridad, a esta última palabra si que le da valor frente al absurdo de la “identidad” del tipo que sea.
"Los entusiastas viajan con vuelos baratos a todos los destinos, atascan los aeropuertos, arrastran a sus mocosos tras de si, se abren camino a codazos en museos, galerías y exposiciones, se apilan en la Capilla Sixtina, emitiendo sonidos colectivos de asombro, corren por los MOMA americanos y europeos, trepan por el Himalaya...compran si criterio, admiran a sus dioses y diosas mediáticas, se reproducen, abonan regularmente las cuotas de su seguro funerario y mueren"
"Los escépticos bajan el tempo y poco a poco se desenganchan, se dan de baja de todo lo que estaban abonados, desenchufar los teléfonos y la televisión por cable...Mientras que los primeros, los entusiastas, son adoradores del mercado y de su ideología, los segundos son desertores del frente laboral, silenciosos defensores del movimiento antimercado"
Y sobre todo habla de Europa, Europa, Europa...del Este y del Oeste, del Sur y del Norte, la historia y expectativas, las migraciones de un sitio para otro dentro de esta Europa convulsa y guerrera.
Ha ido de menos a más, y he acabo leyéndolo con bastante gusto.
March 4, 2020
Из архивите - рецензия за в. "Гласове".
Летящата хърватка
"Няма никой вкъщи", Дубравка Угрешич, прев. Людмила Миндова, "Факел експрес", 2006 г.
Ако закачката с Летящия холандец не звучи убедително, то е само защото Угрешич развява женския род като знаме, а и в Холандия живее от прекалено скоро, че да я таксуваме холандка... От друга страна целият й сборник е посветен на състояния на временност вместо време, странство вместо пространство и изпепеляващи погледи назад, така че – какъв по-подходящ надслов?
Сещам се за Георги Господинов, който в "Естествен роман" искаше да напише книга от начала, а в суровата реалност взе, че направи обратното – състави сборник със спомени за социализма на чужди хора. Е, Дубравка Угрешич дирекно е съставила книга от краища, която звучи като сборник със спомени за социализма за чужденци. Защо краища ли? Има такъв стил на писане в западната преса, от неотдавна успешно култивиран и от нашенските колумнисти, опинионисти и блогъри – от последната страница на журнала. Самият край на неделните приложения се отдава за ползване на писатели или по-речовити журналисти, които в полуинформативен, полуреторичен дух съобщават наблюдения за околното. Драски и шарки, бележки по маншетите, но без претенция за влизане в читанките. Есетата от "Няма никой вкъщи" не само звучат по този начин, но са и точно това: писани на парче за западната преса между 1998 и 2005 година.
Доброто на такъв тип текстове е, че винаги съдържат някакво ефектно ядро, което сепва читателя емоционално или интелектуално. Лошото – че аргументите им са летливи. Същото важи и в случая. Част от пълнежа е изфирясала поради давност (кой помни какво пееше Мадона във Frozen? не бяха ли приоритет на края 80-те жалбите от вдетиняването на човечеството, демонизирането на пушачите и култът към слабото или трансформирано до неузнаваемост тяло? колко слоя прах лежат над откритието, че "живеем в свят, където всичко е образ"?). Други части – спомените от Титовия социализъм и първите пътешественически впечатления – стоят солидно. В нестабилно равновесие между лековатото и сериозното са и "специалните ефекти". Редовните цитати от Илф и Петров стоят свежо ("това беше един от моите начини да платя литературния си данък, но също така и да припомня на читателите, че литературата е една голяма културна система"). Щедро наръсените английски думи обаче бият на зле усвоен life style арсенал.
Ето какъв английски показваше Угрешич във вълнуващия "Музей на безусловната капитулация": "Сисел беше художничка… притежаваше колекция от едно изречение от "Мечо Пух" на много езици. На английски този фрагмент гласи: There’s South Pole, said Christopher Robin, and I expect there’s an East Pole and West Pole, though people don’t like talking about them…" ("Има Южен полюс, каза Кристофър Робин, така че предполагам, че се намират и Източен, и Западен полюс, макар и хората да не обичат да обсъждат това...") А ето какъв отронва неволно в купешкия "Няма никой вкъщи": "някои носят своя lunch в пластмасови кутии"; "приличаше на пълнен домат, от който изригваха спагети Angels Hair"; "отваря място за pleasantly plump жените"; "битакът е meeting point" и т.н.
Някои теми (болката на средностатистическият колумнист, който трябва да предаде текст, но тази седмица няма вдъхновение) са чист произвол. Даже не бих коментирала състоятелността на тезата, че дребните мъже са по-шумни от едрите (?), досущ както малките народи произвеждат врява, а големите – смисъл. Или че носенето на раница и бутилка (типичното туристическо "въоръжение") е сигурен белег на инфантилност (?!). Други теми обаче, особено пътеписните, са богати и пъстри, Угрешич не пропуска детайлите...
Леко нервирана и с желание да няма нищо общо, в т.нар. свои есета Угрешич се е отдала на една перманентна декларация за независимост: от нашите (хленчещи поради лош характер) и ненашите (хленчещи поради глезотия); от "тези изнурителни постутопични времена"; от всичко, неподвластно на изгнаническия бог, Куфарът и тъй нататък. Само че действителон хубавото настъпва в моментите, когато авторката забравя да се възмущава и разграничава; в добронамерените препратки към разни култури и времена; в саркастичните наблюдения ("... в други култури децата спят като ангели, в тази – като заклани...") и редките, но красиви прозрения ("... те са неми. Също като ангелите. Неми са, защото никой нищо не ги пита").
Немалка част от събраните в "Няма никой вкъщи" фрагменти са се появявали на български в "ЛИК", "Факел", "Литературен вестник" и "Гласове". Активен маркетинг. Хубаво оформление. Жизнен превод. Така се прави. Не е скучно, макар и да не е разтърсващо. Въпреки че ми е ясно, че няма да заобичам прозата на Угрешич (бях на една крачка от това с "Форсиране на романа-река", но ми мина с "Министерство на болката"), не бих я оставила недочетена. Най-малкото заради "Плач", "Паника" или амстердамските хроники.
Летящата хърватка
"Няма никой вкъщи", Дубравка Угрешич, прев. Людмила Миндова, "Факел експрес", 2006 г.
Ако закачката с Летящия холандец не звучи убедително, то е само защото Угрешич развява женския род като знаме, а и в Холандия живее от прекалено скоро, че да я таксуваме холандка... От друга страна целият й сборник е посветен на състояния на временност вместо време, странство вместо пространство и изпепеляващи погледи назад, така че – какъв по-подходящ надслов?
Сещам се за Георги Господинов, който в "Естествен роман" искаше да напише книга от начала, а в суровата реалност взе, че направи обратното – състави сборник със спомени за социализма на чужди хора. Е, Дубравка Угрешич дирекно е съставила книга от краища, която звучи като сборник със спомени за социализма за чужденци. Защо краища ли? Има такъв стил на писане в западната преса, от неотдавна успешно култивиран и от нашенските колумнисти, опинионисти и блогъри – от последната страница на журнала. Самият край на неделните приложения се отдава за ползване на писатели или по-речовити журналисти, които в полуинформативен, полуреторичен дух съобщават наблюдения за околното. Драски и шарки, бележки по маншетите, но без претенция за влизане в читанките. Есетата от "Няма никой вкъщи" не само звучат по този начин, но са и точно това: писани на парче за западната преса между 1998 и 2005 година.
Доброто на такъв тип текстове е, че винаги съдържат някакво ефектно ядро, което сепва читателя емоционално или интелектуално. Лошото – че аргументите им са летливи. Същото важи и в случая. Част от пълнежа е изфирясала поради давност (кой помни какво пееше Мадона във Frozen? не бяха ли приоритет на края 80-те жалбите от вдетиняването на човечеството, демонизирането на пушачите и култът към слабото или трансформирано до неузнаваемост тяло? колко слоя прах лежат над откритието, че "живеем в свят, където всичко е образ"?). Други части – спомените от Титовия социализъм и първите пътешественически впечатления – стоят солидно. В нестабилно равновесие между лековатото и сериозното са и "специалните ефекти". Редовните цитати от Илф и Петров стоят свежо ("това беше един от моите начини да платя литературния си данък, но също така и да припомня на читателите, че литературата е една голяма културна система"). Щедро наръсените английски думи обаче бият на зле усвоен life style арсенал.
Ето какъв английски показваше Угрешич във вълнуващия "Музей на безусловната капитулация": "Сисел беше художничка… притежаваше колекция от едно изречение от "Мечо Пух" на много езици. На английски този фрагмент гласи: There’s South Pole, said Christopher Robin, and I expect there’s an East Pole and West Pole, though people don’t like talking about them…" ("Има Южен полюс, каза Кристофър Робин, така че предполагам, че се намират и Източен, и Западен полюс, макар и хората да не обичат да обсъждат това...") А ето какъв отронва неволно в купешкия "Няма никой вкъщи": "някои носят своя lunch в пластмасови кутии"; "приличаше на пълнен домат, от който изригваха спагети Angels Hair"; "отваря място за pleasantly plump жените"; "битакът е meeting point" и т.н.
Някои теми (болката на средностатистическият колумнист, който трябва да предаде текст, но тази седмица няма вдъхновение) са чист произвол. Даже не бих коментирала състоятелността на тезата, че дребните мъже са по-шумни от едрите (?), досущ както малките народи произвеждат врява, а големите – смисъл. Или че носенето на раница и бутилка (типичното туристическо "въоръжение") е сигурен белег на инфантилност (?!). Други теми обаче, особено пътеписните, са богати и пъстри, Угрешич не пропуска детайлите...
Леко нервирана и с желание да няма нищо общо, в т.нар. свои есета Угрешич се е отдала на една перманентна декларация за независимост: от нашите (хленчещи поради лош характер) и ненашите (хленчещи поради глезотия); от "тези изнурителни постутопични времена"; от всичко, неподвластно на изгнаническия бог, Куфарът и тъй нататък. Само че действителон хубавото настъпва в моментите, когато авторката забравя да се възмущава и разграничава; в добронамерените препратки към разни култури и времена; в саркастичните наблюдения ("... в други култури децата спят като ангели, в тази – като заклани...") и редките, но красиви прозрения ("... те са неми. Също като ангелите. Неми са, защото никой нищо не ги пита").
Немалка част от събраните в "Няма никой вкъщи" фрагменти са се появявали на български в "ЛИК", "Факел", "Литературен вестник" и "Гласове". Активен маркетинг. Хубаво оформление. Жизнен превод. Така се прави. Не е скучно, макар и да не е разтърсващо. Въпреки че ми е ясно, че няма да заобичам прозата на Угрешич (бях на една крачка от това с "Форсиране на романа-река", но ми мина с "Министерство на болката"), не бих я оставила недочетена. Най-малкото заради "Плач", "Паника" или амстердамските хроники.
January 1, 2022
Colección de articulillos y de esqueches publicados previamente aquí y allá. Puede servir como introducción al particular universo de la Ugrešić, porque aquí está ya todo, pero me ha faltado una mínima estructura, un hilo conductor. Quizá porque lo que esperaba era una segunda visita al Museo de la Rendición Incondicional.
July 20, 2015
DISCLAIMER: I am the publisher of the book and thus spent approximately two years reading and editing and working on it. So take my review with a grain of salt, or the understanding that I am deeply invested in this text and know it quite well. Also, I would really appreciate it if you would purchase this book, since it would benefit Open Letter directly.
June 17, 2017
Un libro muy agudo, lo tenia junto a mi cama, se lee muy bien, es una coleccion de pequeños ensayos y columnas que la escritora realizo en diversos medios a lo largo de algunos años, ideas agudas, divertidas, genera ideas sobre la migracion y la identidad nacional, es muy ilustrativo e increiblememte divertido! Perfecto para unos minutos antes de dormir) tiene un humos muy acido py se mueve ebtre la ironia y la satira, muy, pero muy recomendable!
August 19, 2019
¿Cómo le explico ahora que en la nueva democracia poscomunista, en la <>, tengo que luchar por los derechos de los que disfruté en la dictadura comunista sin ninguna lucha? El derecho a la igualdad de géneros, el derecho al aborto, el derecho a no asistir a clase de religión en la escuela si no quiero, a no llevar una cruz en el cuellosi no quiero, a no declarar mi etnia, si no quiero; el derecho a no odiar al Otro si no quiero; el derecho a decir en voz alta que quizá no haya vivido iluminada por los fuegos artificiales de la democracia, pero que tampoco estaba del todo a oscuras, además en el comunismo la electrificación ocupaba un lugar prioritario, ¿no es así?
January 26, 2012
Precisa y para el bronce. Explica como nadie el mundo de Europa del Este para el resto.Y su crónica de Amsterdam es bellísima.
October 13, 2008
Open Letter Books, based in the University of Rochester, have been blogging away at Three Percent for over a year now, and last month they finally launched their first title: Nobody’s Home by Dubravka Ugrešić (2005). What makes Open Letter special is that they will explicitly only publish works in translation. I’ve been interested in their forthcoming output for a while now and have deliberately held off buying Nobody’s Home, published last year in the United Kingdom by Telegram Books, because I never really liked the cover.
So, first a few words on this edition. It’s a hardback, the image and text printed straight on as there’s no dust jacket. It’s always good to see a bit of cover kudos for the translator - Ellen Elias-Bursac, translating from the Croatian - and the book doesn’t let us down here. Being someone who likes a bit of uniformity to their books, I’ll be looking forward to seeing how other titles from Open Letter stand together.
Read my full review here.
So, first a few words on this edition. It’s a hardback, the image and text printed straight on as there’s no dust jacket. It’s always good to see a bit of cover kudos for the translator - Ellen Elias-Bursac, translating from the Croatian - and the book doesn’t let us down here. Being someone who likes a bit of uniformity to their books, I’ll be looking forward to seeing how other titles from Open Letter stand together.
Read my full review here.
June 4, 2018
Entre textos pequeños, hechos ex professo para columnas periodísticas, y ensayos de más largo aliento —aunque no tan largo, si somos fieles a la verdad, lo cual a veces se agradece y en otras deja la sensación de que al tema en cuestión aún podía exprimírsele bastante jugo— el libro de Dubravka Ugrešić es, sin embargo, una radiografía crítica e implacable de las contradicciones ideológicas, económicas y sociales que se han dado en una región poco entendida desde la visión occidental, como lo es la balcánica, que durante buena parte del siglo XX y lo que va del XXI, ha sufrido una constante metamorfosis que ha puesto en duda el tradicional y facilón concepto de «identidad».
September 3, 2023
Este libro es un gruñido, dice la autora al final del volumen. Para mí, lector, es un magnífico muestrario de los problemas que aquejaban al escritor centro europeo de mediados de los noventa hasta finales de los 2000: inmigración e identidad, el kisch boyante ante la expansión del turismo, la invasión imaginaria de fontaneros polacos hacia países occidentales, el oscuro mundo de la prostitución europea, Emir Kusturica participando como agitador en una manifestación anti Kosovo, la memoria del comunismo como un fantasma que nos obliga a tomar en serio ciertas preguntas, y un largo etcétera.
Ugresic los aborda con ironía y humor, pero también con determinación, sin temor a mostrarse a ratos quisquillosa y a contramarcha de ciertas intuiciones que la caída del comunismo impregnó en la mirada del otro, como que todo estuvo mal y nada hubo que pudiera salvarse. El caso yugoslavo fue muy singular y nos lo cuenta con un dejo de extrañeza y asombro por lo que los humanos somos capaces de hacer para no vivir en paz con los demás.
Su juicio sobre el comunismo no es severo, quizás porque ya hemos tenido bastante de eso. Pero quiero también imaginar que la autora sabe que el mapa del totalitarismo centroeuropeo tuvo un punto ciego, desconectado del estalinismo, que fue una antigua Yugoslavia que debió mirar a Occidente antes que a la Plaza Roja y el Kremlin. Ugresic nos cuenta esa desconexión como quien quiere alertar sobre los peligros de lo que sobrevino: la guerra de los Balcanes, el nacionalismo, la emergencia de los nuevos caudillos.
Ugresic los aborda con ironía y humor, pero también con determinación, sin temor a mostrarse a ratos quisquillosa y a contramarcha de ciertas intuiciones que la caída del comunismo impregnó en la mirada del otro, como que todo estuvo mal y nada hubo que pudiera salvarse. El caso yugoslavo fue muy singular y nos lo cuenta con un dejo de extrañeza y asombro por lo que los humanos somos capaces de hacer para no vivir en paz con los demás.
Su juicio sobre el comunismo no es severo, quizás porque ya hemos tenido bastante de eso. Pero quiero también imaginar que la autora sabe que el mapa del totalitarismo centroeuropeo tuvo un punto ciego, desconectado del estalinismo, que fue una antigua Yugoslavia que debió mirar a Occidente antes que a la Plaza Roja y el Kremlin. Ugresic nos cuenta esa desconexión como quien quiere alertar sobre los peligros de lo que sobrevino: la guerra de los Balcanes, el nacionalismo, la emergencia de los nuevos caudillos.
December 16, 2024
Este libro publicado en 2009 está compuesto por pequeños ensayos y columnas en un diario suizo a cargo de la autora, una croata nacida en 1949 y autoexiliada en 1992 (perdón por el estereotipo).
Su lectura actual es por momentos anacrónica y por momentos profética respecto a la evolución geopolítica de la ex Yugoslavia y Europa occidental (tan frecuentemente hipócrita y desmemoriada en su trato hacia países vulnerables).
Una mirada “ostálgica” y crítica del mundo actual (2008) carente en gran medida de ideologías y altruismo. Una buena alternativa en la búsqueda de entender el pensamiento en una región tan compleja como los Balcanes.
Su lectura actual es por momentos anacrónica y por momentos profética respecto a la evolución geopolítica de la ex Yugoslavia y Europa occidental (tan frecuentemente hipócrita y desmemoriada en su trato hacia países vulnerables).
Una mirada “ostálgica” y crítica del mundo actual (2008) carente en gran medida de ideologías y altruismo. Una buena alternativa en la búsqueda de entender el pensamiento en una región tan compleja como los Balcanes.
March 18, 2023
Alerted to the death of notable Croatian author Dubravka Ugrešić (1949-2023) by a Tweet from Declan O'Driscoll, I remembered that her essay collection Nobody's Home was part of The First 25 book bundle that I bought from Open Letter Books, ages ago in 2014.
Born in Croatia in 1949 but eschewing nationalism, Dubravka Ugrešić was a writer, translator and literary scholar with a keen interest in Russian avant-garde culture. She began her award-winning writing career with screenplays and books for children, and translated forgotten and contemporary Russian writers into Croatian. She was best known in the former Yugoslavia for her fiction, novels and short stories, but in 1996 she went into exile in the Netherlands because she was anti-nationalism and anti-war. As her profile at Goodreads tells us:
In exile Ugrešić continued teaching and writing, including novels and books of essays of which Nobody's Home (Nikog nema doma) is one. Amongst other awards, she won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2016. Her books are widely translated and translation enthusiasts at Book Twitter are devastated by her early death in Amsterdam at the age of 73.
I haven't read the whole collection, because Nobody's Home is a book for dipping into, but I've enjoyed some of those with the most arresting titles. I particularly enjoyed 'What Is European about European Literature?' with its droll parallels in the Eurovision song contest, and also her self-mockery in 'The Stendhal Syndrome' where she has a panic attack on the famous Gaudi staircase in Barcelona's Sagrada Familia.
(Yes, *blush*, you can see my enthusiastic camera-clicking at these sites in the slide-show at my travel blog.)
I could also relate to her wry lamentation about visits to cities that can be reduced to the things I haven't seen. Unlike Ugrešić, I have seen the Sistine Chapel, but my plans have likewise been foiled by renovations, strikes, airline stuffups, inexperience at being a tourist, and just not having enough time to see, for example, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and the Milan cathedral, St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Rodin's statue of Balzac in Paris, and anything in Greece because they were rioting when we were planning my Big Birthday trip in 2012 and so we went to Russia instead.
I am likewise glad that I did most of my travel not so much in the less democratic times when airfares were expensive and Ugrešić had the Louvre, Hermitage and Metropolitan to herself, but before the advent of the hordes ticking off their bucket lists with selfies to prove it and the monster cruise ships in Venice.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/18/n...
Born in Croatia in 1949 but eschewing nationalism, Dubravka Ugrešić was a writer, translator and literary scholar with a keen interest in Russian avant-garde culture. She began her award-winning writing career with screenplays and books for children, and translated forgotten and contemporary Russian writers into Croatian. She was best known in the former Yugoslavia for her fiction, novels and short stories, but in 1996 she went into exile in the Netherlands because she was anti-nationalism and anti-war. As her profile at Goodreads tells us:
In 1991, when the war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, Ugrešić took a firm anti-nationalistic stand and consequently an anti-war stand. She started to write critically about nationalism (both Croatian and Serbian), the stupidity and criminality of war, and soon became a target of the nationalistically charged media, officials, politicians, fellow writers and anonymous citizens. She was proclaimed a “traitor”, a “public enemy” and a “witch”, ostracized and exposed to harsh and persistent media harassment. She left Croatia in 1993.
In exile Ugrešić continued teaching and writing, including novels and books of essays of which Nobody's Home (Nikog nema doma) is one. Amongst other awards, she won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2016. Her books are widely translated and translation enthusiasts at Book Twitter are devastated by her early death in Amsterdam at the age of 73.
I haven't read the whole collection, because Nobody's Home is a book for dipping into, but I've enjoyed some of those with the most arresting titles. I particularly enjoyed 'What Is European about European Literature?' with its droll parallels in the Eurovision song contest, and also her self-mockery in 'The Stendhal Syndrome' where she has a panic attack on the famous Gaudi staircase in Barcelona's Sagrada Familia.
What possessed me to go up it in the first place? How many steps are there left to go? Will I ever get down—or will I be stuck in the bell tower—looking through the narrow little window at a scrap of sky—forever? Ah Gaudi! I waited in line from early morning yesterday for the famous Casa Mila, '"La Pedrera," to open. Gaudi's roof, with those astonishing chimneys (espantabruixes) as if it anticipated the future invasion of camera-clicking tourists: no one can escape being caught in someone's picture. (p.199)
(Yes, *blush*, you can see my enthusiastic camera-clicking at these sites in the slide-show at my travel blog.)
I could also relate to her wry lamentation about visits to cities that can be reduced to the things I haven't seen. Unlike Ugrešić, I have seen the Sistine Chapel, but my plans have likewise been foiled by renovations, strikes, airline stuffups, inexperience at being a tourist, and just not having enough time to see, for example, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and the Milan cathedral, St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Rodin's statue of Balzac in Paris, and anything in Greece because they were rioting when we were planning my Big Birthday trip in 2012 and so we went to Russia instead.
I am likewise glad that I did most of my travel not so much in the less democratic times when airfares were expensive and Ugrešić had the Louvre, Hermitage and Metropolitan to herself, but before the advent of the hordes ticking off their bucket lists with selfies to prove it and the monster cruise ships in Venice.
Because since then the cities, and with them the museums, have been occupied by consumers of cheap airfares: people resigned to every physical and mental humiliation; tourists with nerves of steel and astonishing physical endurance; human specimens outfitted for combat, armed with backpacks, cameras and bottled water; people waiting patiently in long lines, latter-day pilgrims who are paying penance for who knows what sins; hunters on the lookout for tourist relics and collectors amassing cheap souvenirs; people who have taken the metaphor of the world as a global village literally. (p.200-1)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/18/n...
July 16, 2023
Growing up, to call myself Croatian had a lucrative draw: the draw of identity and continuity with an established history. The colonial state, after all, begins from a blank slate - it's history built on erasure - with this condition is reflected on its citizens. Digressions aside, I was somewhat justified in calling myself Croatian as my grandparents came from Croatia, and that familial connection drew me to this book.
Ugresic however, did not call herself a Croatian writer, but a Yugoslav one, and she strongly resisted the nationalist policies of Tuđman's Croatia. This resistance is reflected in her book, dealing with topics, from nationalism, post-communism, or identity. Overall, Nobody's Home consists of a wide range of reflections on contemporary life in the late 20th and early 21st century, at once entertaining and pertinent. Ugresic writes with a mixture of realism and idealism, romanticism and cynicism, that many Slavic authors seem to excel at.
To be sure, Ugresic warns against such ethnic generalizations, and she advocates that literature should be 'deterritorialized' - that is, not turned into a national product, of Croatian literature, Dutch literature, and the like. Here is a profoundly interesting and optimistic idea, well supported by Ugresic's reflections on the divisive and destructive nature of nationalism. Nevertheless, optimistic, as we humans naturally tend towards finding identity, those islands through which we differentiate ourselves in the ocean of humanity.
Overall, I found her book a profound and entertaining read, albeit scattered at times, with no unifying theme tying the text together. It was a great introduction to Yugoslav/Croatian literature, which Croatia has an abundance of, as I've been happy to find on my trip here. Today, I preface myself as being ethnically Croatian, a fine disclaimer which takes away some of the pretenses to national identity. Still, I'm drawn to Croatia just as I'm drawn to the past, and Ugresic's book proved a wonderful introduction to Croatian literature - albeit not so Croatian in this case.
Ugresic however, did not call herself a Croatian writer, but a Yugoslav one, and she strongly resisted the nationalist policies of Tuđman's Croatia. This resistance is reflected in her book, dealing with topics, from nationalism, post-communism, or identity. Overall, Nobody's Home consists of a wide range of reflections on contemporary life in the late 20th and early 21st century, at once entertaining and pertinent. Ugresic writes with a mixture of realism and idealism, romanticism and cynicism, that many Slavic authors seem to excel at.
To be sure, Ugresic warns against such ethnic generalizations, and she advocates that literature should be 'deterritorialized' - that is, not turned into a national product, of Croatian literature, Dutch literature, and the like. Here is a profoundly interesting and optimistic idea, well supported by Ugresic's reflections on the divisive and destructive nature of nationalism. Nevertheless, optimistic, as we humans naturally tend towards finding identity, those islands through which we differentiate ourselves in the ocean of humanity.
Overall, I found her book a profound and entertaining read, albeit scattered at times, with no unifying theme tying the text together. It was a great introduction to Yugoslav/Croatian literature, which Croatia has an abundance of, as I've been happy to find on my trip here. Today, I preface myself as being ethnically Croatian, a fine disclaimer which takes away some of the pretenses to national identity. Still, I'm drawn to Croatia just as I'm drawn to the past, and Ugresic's book proved a wonderful introduction to Croatian literature - albeit not so Croatian in this case.
September 9, 2023
Dubravka Ugresic es una escritora croata que añora la antigua Yugoslavia. En este libro recopila todas sus opiniones y ensayos publicados en periódicos.
Aquí vemos su maestría para hablar de temas como migración, exilio y comunismo con una síntesis y humor inigualable. Quizá en algún momento se vuelvan reiterativos, como cuando habla sobre los diversas culturas balcánicas.
Sin duda, un descubrimiento personal que me ha sorprendido por su inteligencia y capacidad de permitirnos conocer otra perspectiva de la Europa no central, tan multicultural y problemática.
Aquí vemos su maestría para hablar de temas como migración, exilio y comunismo con una síntesis y humor inigualable. Quizá en algún momento se vuelvan reiterativos, como cuando habla sobre los diversas culturas balcánicas.
Sin duda, un descubrimiento personal que me ha sorprendido por su inteligencia y capacidad de permitirnos conocer otra perspectiva de la Europa no central, tan multicultural y problemática.
June 26, 2023
Sadly Ugresic died earlier this year and I thought it time to read another of her books of essays. I love her work. She is funny and acerbic and ranges over many different topics. I especially liked how she compares late capitalism (she moved from Croatia - and grew up under Communism - to Amsterdam) with communism. Wonderful. A book to cherish.
March 10, 2022
Me gustan mucho sus ensayos y esta no iba a ser la excepción. No es la mejor colección de los que he leído, pero tiene fragmentos que son brillantes, y solo por eso merece la pena bucear en este libro (porque sus ensayos son literatura de buceo).
May 14, 2020
Really thoughtful essays on a wide variety of subjects from a traveling writer. Highly recommended
August 25, 2023
5 full ⭐ I fell in love with Ugresic's thoughts and the way she translates them onto paper. Can't wait to read her other books
September 14, 2024
Yugoslavia no te hemos olvidado. Recomendado para los fans de los mini países.
December 26, 2014
Харесах:
* всички тези случайни срещи с емигранти от Балканите, които се намират един друг по всички краища на света и се държат като членове на едно сплотено братство (сестринство?);
* разсъжденията за начина, по който Хърватската публичност се опитва да се справи с близкото си минало, чудейки се как едновременно да запази претенциите за антифашизъм и еднозначно да зачеркне комунистичното;
* експлицитният феминизъм и загатването за разликите между феминизма в САЩ и феминизма в Югославия, с нейния легален аборт, пълен достъп до висше образование и относително високо представителство на жени в политиката и същевременно с медийно очерняне на 5 авторки (“вещици”), които излизат с публична позиция срещу войната;
* „Същината на комунистическото всекидневие – поне що се отнася до обикновените хора – не беше толкова в липсата на демокрация, в ограничаването на политическите, религиозните, сексуалните и другите свободи, в страха пред невидимото лице на тоталитаризма или пък в безкрайно дългите опашки в полупразните магазини, а в постоянното, всекидневно унижение на обикновения човешки разум. Комунистическият кошмар се състоеше в повтарящите се с математическа точност унижения на човешкия индивид в различни делнични ситуации, в неразгадаемата мистика на забраната, в невъзможността за диалог и посредничество, във всекидневното разбиване на глави в сляпата стена на абсурда.“
Не харесах:
* журналистическите колонки, в които се споделят наблюдения и разсъждения над Новия Медиен Ред; Звездите; Жените, Които Си Правят Пластични Операции; Ниските Мъже; Хората с Раници в Градския Транспорт; Състоянието на Съвременното Масово Въображение и Култура; Туристите и Паолу Коелю. Подобно мрънкане не бях чела от „Бунтът на масите“ насам, в която Хосе Ортега-и-Гасет беше изключително възмутен от неразличимите един от друг анти-интелектуални работници, плъзнали по европейските градове и смущаващи удоволствието му от това да си пие кафето в любимото кафене.
* горе-долу половината книга не казва нищо интересно или провокиращо и би работила само ако стилът на писане на Угрешич беше завладяващ, какъвто той за мен не е.
* всички тези случайни срещи с емигранти от Балканите, които се намират един друг по всички краища на света и се държат като членове на едно сплотено братство (сестринство?);
* разсъжденията за начина, по който Хърватската публичност се опитва да се справи с близкото си минало, чудейки се как едновременно да запази претенциите за антифашизъм и еднозначно да зачеркне комунистичното;
* експлицитният феминизъм и загатването за разликите между феминизма в САЩ и феминизма в Югославия, с нейния легален аборт, пълен достъп до висше образование и относително високо представителство на жени в политиката и същевременно с медийно очерняне на 5 авторки (“вещици”), които излизат с публична позиция срещу войната;
* „Същината на комунистическото всекидневие – поне що се отнася до обикновените хора – не беше толкова в липсата на демокрация, в ограничаването на политическите, религиозните, сексуалните и другите свободи, в страха пред невидимото лице на тоталитаризма или пък в безкрайно дългите опашки в полупразните магазини, а в постоянното, всекидневно унижение на обикновения човешки разум. Комунистическият кошмар се състоеше в повтарящите се с математическа точност унижения на човешкия индивид в различни делнични ситуации, в неразгадаемата мистика на забраната, в невъзможността за диалог и посредничество, във всекидневното разбиване на глави в сляпата стена на абсурда.“
Не харесах:
* журналистическите колонки, в които се споделят наблюдения и разсъждения над Новия Медиен Ред; Звездите; Жените, Които Си Правят Пластични Операции; Ниските Мъже; Хората с Раници в Градския Транспорт; Състоянието на Съвременното Масово Въображение и Култура; Туристите и Паолу Коелю. Подобно мрънкане не бях чела от „Бунтът на масите“ насам, в която Хосе Ортега-и-Гасет беше изключително възмутен от неразличимите един от друг анти-интелектуални работници, плъзнали по европейските градове и смущаващи удоволствието му от това да си пие кафето в любимото кафене.
* горе-долу половината книга не казва нищо интересно или провокиращо и би работила само ако стилът на писане на Угрешич беше завладяващ, какъвто той за мен не е.
November 13, 2012
Nobody’s Home is a collection of short essays; in some cases, they seem too short to express a well-developed idea. As I was reading them, I thought they reminded me of a newspaper column article, and, indeed, the notes in the end of the collection acknowledge that most of them have been written for a newspaper.
These cultural essays focus on fairly diverse topics—from cosmetic surgery to heftier issues such as Europe’s identity, to stereotypes prevalent in the “Old continent,” and even religion. If any common thread connects the essays, it is the theme of personal identity and national identities. Ugrešić offers a fairly cosmopolitan view on different cultural problems, and she does that with a healthy dose of humor. No nation seems to be safe, and the author has made references to almost everyone: the Americans, the Vietnamese, the Polish, the Bulgarians, and the Russians, to name a few. The author laments the negative stereotypes about Eastern Europeans that are still dominant in “old” western Europe, but at times, she herself is susceptible to stereotyping.
The essays are fun to read. In a world that seems obsessed with political correctness, Ugrešić is not afraid to poke fun at the “new” and the “old” Europeans or, for that matter, at anyone else who unwittingly comes to her attention.
These cultural essays focus on fairly diverse topics—from cosmetic surgery to heftier issues such as Europe’s identity, to stereotypes prevalent in the “Old continent,” and even religion. If any common thread connects the essays, it is the theme of personal identity and national identities. Ugrešić offers a fairly cosmopolitan view on different cultural problems, and she does that with a healthy dose of humor. No nation seems to be safe, and the author has made references to almost everyone: the Americans, the Vietnamese, the Polish, the Bulgarians, and the Russians, to name a few. The author laments the negative stereotypes about Eastern Europeans that are still dominant in “old” western Europe, but at times, she herself is susceptible to stereotyping.
The essays are fun to read. In a world that seems obsessed with political correctness, Ugrešić is not afraid to poke fun at the “new” and the “old” Europeans or, for that matter, at anyone else who unwittingly comes to her attention.
April 10, 2011
This is a collection of essays from an author who considers herself to be a "nobody", and the collection is a treatise on what a nobody's home is like. Ugresic, from the former Yugoslavia writes intelligently, with healthy doses of humor, cynicism, and poignancy. I am left with a powerful feeling of sorrow. Sorrow for what? I am not entirely certain. Perhaps I feel sorrow for: exiles, locals, foreigners, people whose birthplace is now referred to starting with the word, "former". Major themes: exile, ethnic identity, cultural identity, being a foreigner, the new "transnational" literature.....and so much more.
July 17, 2009
I love this book! It speaks to me on so many levels, but it especially hits home when Ugrešić brings up the details, memories, musings on the times and events and history of the former Yugoslavia. How great it is to read a book in which you recognize all the cultural and political references. How great it is to read a book written by someone with whom you used to share a country that now doesn't exist anymore, and she, as you are, is now an immigrant some place else. But there is a bond between you two. Some might call it nostalgia.
July 4, 2016
I love Ugrešić and this is an interesting read in time with Brexit, but the newspaper column style doesn't give me access to the full depth of her thinking, so the maxims feel pithier than usual. At least it's not repetitive in the The Polysyllabic Spree sort of way, but for a re-read, I'll probably choose The Ministry of Pain.
September 16, 2014
Since I am taking a trip to Croatia thought I would read some literature by Croatian writer and she would not be happy with that distinction, although she identifies as an ex=Yugoslavian. A series of sharp, concise, serious yet many satirical essays of life in the Balkans and around Europe, especially observations of how the EU has more or less homogenized the countries with everyone moving away from or to other countries.
July 14, 2015
As always, Dubravka Ugresic's personal essays are filled with critical approaches towards life before the falling of the Wall, references to books and films, as well as life as an immigrant and a critical perspective on capitalism and the 'Western World. The only critique to this book would be that it somehow lacks coherence- although I generally appreciate variety of topics, especially in essays, there seems to be no backbone to this book, no unifying theme to the essays.
June 4, 2009
She is just so damned smart and interesting.
March 28, 2012
go back to this later, I suppose.
July 21, 2013
رحله عبر الحدود و التوغل فى الثقافات المختلفة. الكتابه رائعه و استمتعت بها كثيرا
May 29, 2014
reseña erótica: a esta escritora le quiero leer todo
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