Belladonna - First Part - up to “The Case of Rudolf Sass” (spoilers allowed)

[Vesna]

This novel is not really amenable to, nor probably meant for, subdivisions as Drndić does not mark sections in the book except for occasional segments. Given the length of the book, this thread is for open discussion of the roughly first half running up to “The Case of Rudolf Sass”. It covers pp. 1-193 in the UK MacLehose edition and pp. 1-180 in the US New Directions. Not sure even if “spoiler” is applicable to Daša Drndić’s writing, but this is the place for initial thoughts and anything else on the first half of the book.

What were your first impressions? Her style and themes are not comfortable and, as she often expressed in her interviews, they are not meant to be “soft” and “nice”. How does it affect your reading, do you feel more comfortable reading it in long takes or need some breaks between shorter reads? Did you get a sense why memory of the fascist history is so important for her? What about the dignity of old age and illness? These are just some possible questions to start off the discussion, but please feel free to share anything else in your reaction to the first half so far.

[Hugh]

Thanks Vesna. Starting with the apparent obsession with Fascism, the Nazis and the Holocaust, this is perhaps inevitable given the history of the Balkans, particularly what causes friction between Serbs and Croats, and that history spilled over into much more recent conflicts, notably the wars that followed the break-up of Yugoslavia. Having read Trieste, I was not surprised by this content, however uncomfortable it is to read. What did surprise me is how personal Andreas Ban's story is, particularly his medical history.

[Marc]

Just started this yesterday. Ended up being a busier day than expected so I was at first only slipping in a chapter at a time. Having gotten the opportunity last night and this morning to read a few at a time, I think I prefer that stretch--the ideas and linkages flow better for me that way. Was not expecting it to start out so forcefully--both visually and conceptually (memory/history still powerful enough to destroy the individual). And I'm only on pg 45!

[Sarah]

This book gave me a jolt from the beginning. I am a 65 year old school psychologist who retired to a coastal town. I am still unpacking memory boxes and also files that are organized by body part, including breast cancer. That said, the fact that I strongly identify with Andreas and love, love Drndic's writing have allowed me to digest uncomfortable history that I usually avoid. However, I have to admit that it was better to read during the day rather than at night. My daughter married into a Slovenian family and I appreciate the opportunity to learn more of this history in a way that is meaningful for me.

[LindaJ^]

I will be reading but first have 25 pages more to read of Hurricane Season. It's pretty bleak so hope Belladonna is more uplifting.

[Marc]

Haven't read Hurricane Season but I wouldn't expect "uplifting" with this book, Linda.

[Vesna]

I am getting close to the marker for this first half and wanted to share a couple of thoughts.

First, a heads-up to anyone reading Drndić for the first time and finds the first 3-4 sections heavy going in style (not the very opening one which is quite powerful, but those on the corporal issues, ear, etc.). The moment it moves on with “His name is Andreas Ban" it is a different kind of story-telling.

It seems to me that her writing about the historical crimes is intended to have a strong contemporary resonance and warning that the slippage from ultranationalism and jingoism into fascism of the worst kind can easily happen because their starting point is the same obsessiveness with nationhood and "superiority" over others. The personal stories she narrates, both of the crime perpetrators and the victims, are astonishing.

So far she skewered apologetics of the Nazi past, politicians, extremists, silent masses, academic politics, the (sometimes) cold indifference of medical staff even with terminally ill patients, mediocre writers, ... and I thought she did it all brilliantly, with raw truth and evident literary talent.

I accidentally read last night that yesterday was 2 years since she passed, so I was glad I spent some time with her amazing writing.

[Sarah]

Vesna wrote: "I am getting close to the marker for this first half and wanted to share a couple of thoughts.

>First, a heads-up

Thanks for the heads up but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the "corporal issues", etc. I am somewhat familiar with the research that DD drew from. For example, I have seen an Ear Points Chart used for Auricular Therapy and as Diagnostics. DD knows her stuff!

>her writing about the historical crimes is intended to have a strong contemporary resonance and warning

I agree and have heeded her warning

>I was glad I spent some time with her amazing writing.

Agreed

[Vesna]

Sarah wrote: "Vesna wrote: "I am getting close to the marker for this first half and wanted to share a couple of thoughts.

>First, a heads-up

Thanks for the heads up but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the..."

Sara, I am with you, I probably should have highlighted "style" in my heads-up when I wrote that it might appear to some "heavy going in style". Those few beginning sections (except the first one) may sound dense, perhaps too dense to some readers as it did to my friend who is also currently reading it. I wasn't referring to the content. I myself had to go through the torturous ENG/VNG test and other ear & brain diagnostics, because of my persistent vertigo last year. She definitely knew her stuff in every area she covered.

[Joe]

Thanks for initiating this discussion, Vesna. This is my first experience reading Drndic and I’m glad I picked up this book. The links you gave for the background and general info were very useful.
 
Having just finished the first half, I can honestly say that I have never read anything quite like this. There are so many themes that it is impossible to touch on them all. To me, it is a powerful social commentary about crushing experiences of living in a small provincial town in a country with which he (Andreas Ban) feels no sense of belonging despite his “official” ethnicity and which does not welcome him. I found it especially potent how he compares the fascisms of the past and present, making a direct link between the WW2 Ustasha regime (and its descendents) and Tudjman’s Croatia. But the latent fascism is also present in everyday life, in the forced conformity of the small town, or the conformism of academics who just follow orders to avoid “causing trouble”.
 
At times it is utterly heartbreaking to follow the life of Andreas Ban. I find myself wondering if his physical and emotional decay is in any way tied to his sadness in this small town. But for me, the most emotionally difficult part was when he visited Belgrade for the last time, the city that he obviously loved and called home for most of his life, and then having the same feeling in Croatia too. “He has nowhere to return to. He has nowhere to put down roots. What remains is his language. A mishmash of languages which exclude him, with which he excludes himself. Which “betray” him, with which he “betrays” himself.” Wow! This sums up to me the tragedy of the whole region at a human level.

[Vesna]

That's a very poignant quote, thanks Joe. I read a lot of her interviews and about her life when I was reading EEG. While there were autobiographical elements in EEG, which is focused more closely on Andreas Ban's parents, Belladonna seems to me even more autobiographical (of course, not entirely). It is difficult sometimes to disentangle Ban's story from Drndić herself although she distanced herself from labeling him as her alter ego as many critics, even her friends, did. I'm not sure why...

In any event, as expressed in that quote and throughout, one gets the sense that the downfall of Yugoslavia brought people like her to the crossroads of having to internalize their ancestor's ethnic identity which was in conflict with the cosmopolitan spirit in which they grew up and identified themselves throughout their life. So, in the nationalist atmosphere, Drndić/Ban was not "Croatian" enough in Croatia while she/he was now seen as "Croatian" in Serbia. Having to suddenly switch identities, friends, the places called home even in peacetime let alone in the politically turbulent situations, is much more emotionally and practically difficult than what might seem to distant observers.

This is just one of many themes as you point out. They are tied to the region but also universal like the issue of conformism at the work place, ostracizing someone who seems "different", and others.

[LindaJ^]

Vesna wrote: "What were your first impressions? Her style and themes are not comfortable and, as she often expressed in her interviews, they are not meant to be “soft” and “nice”. How does it affect your reading, do you feel more comfortable reading it in long takes or need some breaks between shorter reads? Did you get a sense why memory of the fascist history is so important for her? What about the dignity of old age and illness? "

Her style is certainly not one I took to. It did not draw me into the book. But, I did find Andreas's story interesting. I felt sorry for him, which I am sure Andreas would not want. It is not a book I find hard to put down. I think the memory of the fascist history is important because after the break up of Yugoslavia, the Balkans experienced their own episode of genocide. I know about Serbia being a "bully" but had not appreciated that Croatia also had its nationalist fervor.

She does raise the issue of the elderly professional being ignored by the younger, an issue that recurs with every generation, as we are seeing with Boomers and Millennials. The health care received by Andreas was sometimes shoddy and often delayed but that seems to be related to the health care system itself and not to the elderly as a group.

I cannot say I'm excited about moving on to Rudolf Sass. The first paragraph is more deterring than inviting!

[Marc]

If one phrase comes to mind in reading this first part, it is "to bear witness." History, especially traumatic history, seems like a cancerous tumor that lingers and grows under a society's skin. Undealt with (or maybe even dealt with in this book), it manifests in the individual as psychological issues (possibly leading to suicide) or actual cancer.

I took a lot of notes but I'll try to cull them down before dumping on this discussion.