For the love of reading / Za ljubav prema čitanju......O živima sve najbolje , Milena Vuković Runjić



„ What about- the story? You asked, almost shyly. He glanced at you. Did you, perhaps, bring one of your own stories to show to him? You’re not crazy, you said. He seemed relieved: for nobody despises young, new literature more than a professor of literature. For them, after Ulysses no passage is worthy of attention.  Despite of that, they will continue debating the future of the novel. But not your novel. Mild interest, if there was any, dissolved together with cocoa.”    Don't speak ill of the living*,  Milana Vuković Runjić 
                                                                        

     *this book hasn't been translated to English yet, so I'm 'guessing' the title. In Croatian instead of  idiom 'don't speak ill of the dead',  we usually use this phrase  ' all the best about the dead'. The title of this book is a play on that idiom and its literal translation would be 'all the best about the living'. How it will eventually be translated I don't know. I picked out this phrase and translated it because it made me laugh and because I happen to believe it is close to the truth.

Today I'm going to talk about one collection of short stories more specifically about one novelette in this collection.  Don’t speak ill of the living is a collection of short stories by Croatian author Milena Vuković Runjić. I have read it recently and I loved it. These stories are a joy to read, but one of these really stood out for me. That happens to be the longest one, the novelette. That one really impressed me and I’m sure I’ll never forget it. It’s one of the best things I’ve read lately.


"A - priča? pitala si, gotovo stidljivo. Pogledao te. Da možda nisi donijela neku svoju priču koju mu želiš pokazati? Nisi luda, rekla si. Kao da mu je laknulo: nitko ne prezire više mladu, novu književnost od profesora književnosti. Za njih, nakon Uliksa ni jedan redak više nije vrijedan. Unatoč tome, i dalje će raspravljati o budućnosti romana. Ali ne tvojeg romana. Blagi interes, ako ga je i bilo, izgubio se zajedno s kakaom."    O živima sve najbolje, Milana Vuković Runjić

Danas ću govoriti o jednoj zbirci kratkih priča, zapravo o jednoj pripovijetki u toj zbirci. O živima sve najbolje je zbirka priča Milene Vuković Runjić. Nedavno sam je pročitala i jako mi se svidjela. Sve su priče u ovoj zbirci pravi užitak za čitanje, ali jedna od ovih priča zaista zaslužuje posebno spominjanje. Radi se o najdužoj priči, o pripovijetci zapravo. Ta me doista impresionirala i sigurna sam da je neću nikad zaboraviti. Jedna od najboljih stvari koje sam pročitala u zadnje vrijeme.







    "  Znamo da si jučer pomno zavezala kožne vezice svojih sandala nakon što si navukla    suknju i tamnu košulju. Znamo da si se približila ogledalu, gledajući se namršteno, kao uvijek kad se želiš napudrati. Ruke su ti se pomalo tresle.

Nas nema u ogledalu.

Znamo da si izašla iz kuće, možda prebrzo, tako da su vrata za tobom ostala otvorena. Uvijek je tako, želiš van, kažeš, kao da ne gospodariš u svojoj kući, nego si u njoj gost. Samoća u kojoj prebivaš odjednom se izlije kao voda iz lavora, i ti ćeš svisnuti ako ne pobjegneš.

Tamo gdje smo mi ima dovoljno mjesta. " 

                                                            O živima sve najbolje, Milena  Vuković Runjić








Don't speak  ill of the living, the novelette his collection was named after is a true masterpiece. Such is my opinion anyway. Therefore, it seems to me that this novelette is deserving of its own edition. I was very impressed by this novelette’s complex narrative, its touching portrayal of mildly neurotic young woman that lives her life unaware of the dead surrounding her. Moreover, the protagonist of this story is such an amazing character. Her vulnerability and surprising perseverance (you’ll see what I mean when you read the story) are nicely tied to another narrative that gives them an additional dimension. What other narrative? Well, that of a dead man who is trying to write. The one who is observing her. There is also an additional parallel story created by the third party, a mysterious witch. I did say that this novel has a complex narrative structure, didn't I? However, it is so well done, you won't be confused at all.



 Naslovna pripovijetka, O živima sve najbolje,  je po meni pravo malo remek djelo i nekako mi se čini da bi joj najbolje odgovaralo posebno izdanje. Njezina složena naracija i dirljiv prikaz blago neurotične mlade žene koja živi svoj život nesvjesna mrtvih koji je okružuju su me oduševili. Štoviše ova mlada žena je predivno razvijen lik. Njezina ranjivost, a u isto vrijeme i zadivljujuća upornost (vidjeti ćete na što mislim kada ju pročitate) , se lijepo nadovezuje na usporednu naraciju koja joj daje dodatnu dimenziju. Kakva usporedna naracija? Ona mrtvaca koji pokušava pisati i koji je promatra. Tu je i dodatnu radnju u koju se upleće treća sila, misteriozna vještica. Rekla sam da roman ima komplesnu narativnu strukturu, zar nisam? No, tako je dobro izvedena da nimalo nećete biti zbunjeni.












*****my review on goodreads here

*****moj ogled na goodreads-u ovdje

Comments

  1. *_* *_* *_*
    http://mamodebychiaradipalma.blogspot.it/

    ReplyDelete
  2. These pictures are so pretty! I'm so glad you enjoyed these stories!

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  3. I hear about the book for the first time:-)
    Overall, I try to read in your language here, but is not easy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, I know this one is hard to find...but perhaps you can find some of her other books.

      Delete
  4. Really interesting post and lovely pics...thx for sharing! xx

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  5. Ci proponi sempre letture molto interessanti, belle le foto!
    Kisses, Paola.

    Expressyourself

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    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you darling :D

    Wooow, so amazing book :D Interesting story!

    NEW REVIEW POST | YVES ROCHER: Roll-on eye contour Illuminator.
    InstagramFacebook Oficial PageMiguel Gouveia / Blog Pieces Of Me :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nisam ništa Milanino čitala dosad, al već neko vrijeme mi je u planu. dobro mi je sjela ova tvoja recenzija ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I must read it now :)

    Federica Di Nardo
    http://federicadinardo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nisam citala ali cu definitivno imati na umu...Milana je velika knjizevnica i jako cijenim njezin rad!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ja sam se iznenadila koliko je dobra, uvijek mi je bila onako simpatična ali luckasta, ali žena baš zna pisati.

      Delete
  10. Baš si me zainteresovala. Prvi citat mi se posebno sviđa. U njemu ima toliko istine... I fotografije su divno propratile celu priču <3

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    Replies
    1. hvala...da, stvarno ima istine, ne znam čemu je tako, ali profesori književnosti ponekad kao da imaju fobiju od nove književnosti, one baš suvremene.

      Delete
  11. Hey Ivana, seems interesting! Actually I'm looking for novels and stories to read in order to keep the creativity and the inspiration flowing! Never heard before about this author but promise to look for it when I visit a library or book store here in Barcelona ;)

    All the best dear! And thanks for the recommendation!

    Pablo
    Fungi Express blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know some of her works have been translated to various languages, so I hope you manage to find something.

      Delete
  12. Zainteresovala si me bas, bas :-) Prekrasni citati, prvi pogotovo.
    Pusica

    ReplyDelete

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All your comments mean a lot to me, even the criticism. Naravno da mi puno znači što ste uzeli vrijeme da nešto napišete, pa makar to bila i kritika. Per me le vostre parole sono sempre preziose anche quando si tratta di critiche.

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