«There are no innocents» Intertextual relations between Vladimir Kecmanović’s novel Osama and Ivo Andric’s novel The Damned Yard
Zorana Zvonimir Opačić
Докладчик
профессор
Teacher Education Faculty, University of Belgrade
Teacher Education Faculty, University of Belgrade
211
2016-03-17
13:00 -
13:20
Ключевые слова, аннотация
«There are no innocents»
Intertextual relations between Vladimir Kecmanović`s novel
Osama (2015)
and Ivo Andric`s novel The Damned Yard (1954).
Тезисы
In this
paper we analyse two novels in contemporary Serbian literature, which are based
on the Andric`s metaphor of the damned yard, which symbolizes not only
the cursed fate of the inhabitants of the Balkans, but also the tragic position
of an individual in the modern world. We deal with a metatextual novel Osama
(2015) by Serbian writer Vladimir Kecmanović (1972) that in its symbolism,
structure, narrative strategies, thematic similarity established an
intertextual dialogue with the 20th century cult novel of Serbian literature, The
Damned Yard by Ivo Andric
(1954). When a member of the new Serbian prose (which sees the role of
literature in a critical reflection of reality in the neo-imperial world) bases
his novel on the classic literary work, he does it not only to show the
universality and actuality of Andric's work, but also to show the fate of the
Bosnian space and misconceptions by people of similar mentality. Therefore, the
paper indicates intertextual links between novels, conscious similarity in the
narrative strategy, types of heroes and narrator, motives, etc. Kecmanović uses
different types of metatextual procedures, so Andric's novel exists within Osama
as a book in which the heroes find clear analogy with their own lives (Karađoz
/ Munir; Fr. Peter / narrator, a young man by the window / Writer;
investigators / agents CIA, etc). Kecmanović narrative is set in a nameless
small town of the late 20th century and discusses the decline and
disintegration of Yugoslavia
- the socialist era, the surge of nationalism, wars in the 90s and the postwar
period. Author ironically testifies about the criminogenic reality, war
profiteers, the role of foreign intelligence services, the jihadists as
transition new idols. Novels are based Both on the technique of skaz and
narrator`s confession, so polyphonically multiplying the other heroes'
confessions. Being in America, outside of space and time his narration relates
to, the narrator feels the inner need to confess the compatriot belonging to a
different religion the events he witnessed and participated in, so continuing
the story about the individual and collective tragedy. In the centre of both
novels there is an obsessed man of mixed blood, caught between two cultures,
who delusively identifies himself with the historical figure. However, what Jam
Sultan, the sultan's younger brother, is to Andric`s Camil, that is the
international terrorist Osama bin Laden to the young Kecmanovic`s hero Bayazid
after his father's death, evidencing not only the parodic persiflage, but also
the tragic disorientation of a young man in the period of transition, whose
disillusion leads him to frustration, madness and death.