A Brief Excursion and Other Stories

by Antun Šoljan, Ellen Elias-Bursać (Translator)

It was precisely at that moment, the narrator tells us, that a team of archaeologists and painters, art historians, and photographers set out almost spontaneously in search of the medieval frescoes of Istria. So begins A Brief Excursion, a picaresque adventure in which a tantalizing hint of hidden riches, forgotten beauty, and a whiff of the past lure an odd assortment of characters toward the unexpected.A Brief Excursion, Antun Soljan's second novel, anchors this collection of fiction by one of the most significant postwar Croatian writers. The works collected here, including many stories from Soljan's first book, Traitors, reveal a sensibility both comic and poignant, devoted to questions of identity and solidarity, of how the one and the many conflict and mingle -- issues that were at the center of both political and literary life for Soljan. In one story after another -- whether fixing up a summerhouse on the Istrian coast or confronting prejudice and the past in a tourist town -- Soljan's characters are stirred to action by a chimera of longing only to find, at the end of their efforts, the stark landscape of self-knowledge and loss.

Antun Soljan's ironic, playful writing, always flirting with the political, asserts itself throughout these stories with their portrayal of the complex identity of his generation.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2000

About the author

Antun Šoljan rođen je 1. prosinca 1932. u Beogradu, a umro je 9. srpnja 1993. u Zagrebu. Gimnaziju je završio u Zagrebu, gdje je studirao njemački i engleski jezik i književnost. Plodan pjesnik, prozaik, esejist, dramatičar i prevoditelj, uređivao je časopise “Krugovi”, “Međutim”, “Književnik”, bio je predsjednik Hrvatskog centra PEN-a (1971. – 1973.), urednik u nekoliko nakladničkih kuća, autor niza važnih antologija svjetske i hrvatske književnosti. Svojim kulturnim angažmanom, javnom riječju, književnim i prevodilačkim djelovanjem bez sumnje je bio jedna od središnjih osobnosti hrvatske kulture druge polovice dvadesetoga stoljeća.

Objavio je zbirke poezije Na rubu svijeta, Matica hrvatska, Zagreb 1956.; Izvan fokusa, Lykos, Zagreb 1957.; Gratlic za čas kratiti, Bagdala, Kruševac, 1965.; Gazela i druge pjesme, Matica hrvatska, Zagreb 1970.; Izabrane pjesme 1950.-1975., Matica srpska, Novi Sad 1976.; Čitanje Ovidijevih Metamorfoza / Rustichello, Biblioteka SC-a Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb 1976.; Bacač kamena, Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske, Zagreb 1985. i Prigovori, Durieux, Zagreb 1993.; knjige priča Specijalni izaslanici, Naklada Društva književnika Hrvatske, Zagreb 1957.; Deset kratkih priča za moju generaciju, Matica srpska, Novi Sad 1966.; Obiteljska večera i druge priče, Naprijed, Zagreb 1975.; Hrvatski Joyce i druge igre, Grafički zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb 1989.; romane Izdajice, Zora, Zagreb 1961.; Kratki izlet, Prosveta, Beograd 1965.; Luka, Znanje, Zagreb 1974.; Drugi ljudi na Mjesecu, Znanje, Zagreb 1978.; knjige eseja Trogodišnja kronika poezije hrvatske i srpske 1960.-1962., Naprijed, Zagreb 1965.; Zanovijetanje iz zamke (Deset godina podlistaka), Znanje, Zagreb 1972.; Sloboda čitanja, Grafički zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb 1991.; Prošlo nesvršeno vrijeme, Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada, Zagreb 1992.; knjige drama: Lice, Biblioteka HNK, Zagreb 1965.; Devet drama, Matica hrvatska, Zagreb 1970.; Mjesto uz prijestol, dvije drame Grafički zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb 1991.; knjigu za djecu Ovo i druga mora, Školska knjiga, Zagreb 1975. U Grafičkom zavodu Hrvatske početkom devedesetih počela su mu izlaziti Sabrana djela, ali edicija nikada nije dovršena. Od izbora iz djela izašla su mu Izabrana djela Antuna Šoljana I, II, Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske, Zagreb 1987. u ediciji Pet stoljeća hrvatske književnosti i Molitva na šetalištu, Mozaik knjiga, Zagreb, 1995.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent - shades of Kafka, Borges - allegorical texts which engage with post-war Croatian society, which critique with humor and anger the Communist party line. There is much searching for beauty, and failing to find it. Much pacing through dusty plains. Much frustration and failure....

This collection comprises a 110 page novella and a number of key short stories. It is well worth your time.

[1.1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly unique stories kicked off by a great novella. They all skirt absurdism, curiously they are also all written from the author’s perspective, as if his surrogate were always the main character. One story, more collective, doesn’t quite state it outright. Sure enough, he gets into misadventures aplenty.

Šoljan’s prose has a dreamlike quality to it. It can also be leisurely and unhurried on occasion. Every scene is vivid in terms of colour and content, but the whole tale always gets a little fuzzy around the edges, in my opinion. This alerts one, if nothing else does, to the idea that there may be layers of meaning. Sometimes there are none, sometimes there is clearly an allegorical edge to a story. Soljan himself states that it may or may not be so. It's interesting stuff, and I have less than the bare minimum understanding of post-WWII Croatia.

All told, I liked this collection quite a bit. It wasn’t always what I’d call easy reading, but it was always interesting.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some moments that were 5+ stars, but was overall pretty slow.

[Joe Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels unfair to give all the stories one rating. Some good some middling. Probably a book you have to read more than once.