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Angels Beneath the Surface: A Selection of Contemporary Slovene Fiction
With a per capita publishing rate of more that three times that of the United States, Slovenia has a long and storied literary history, from the legendary 9th-century Freising Manuscripts to postmodern masterpieces by Igor Brato z. Continuing that tradition, Angels Beneath the Surface, the first collection of Slovene fiction to be published in English outside of Slovenia since 1994, offers a rich sampling of Slovene short stories. The thirteen tales here represent a wide array of voices and writing styles among the country's renowned–and emergent–writers.
Written between 1990 and 2005, the selections in Angels Beneath the Surface together comprise a vivid snapshot of Slovene literary consciousness at the turn of the millennium. These authors mine their culture for often startling insights in stories that range from wicked variations on fairy tales to dour romances to skewerings of the bureaucratic state.
Recent articles in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, and other prominent publications attest to renewed interest in European literature in translation, and this collection is an incisive entry in the genre.
Written between 1990 and 2005, the selections in Angels Beneath the Surface together comprise a vivid snapshot of Slovene literary consciousness at the turn of the millennium. These authors mine their culture for often startling insights in stories that range from wicked variations on fairy tales to dour romances to skewerings of the bureaucratic state.
Recent articles in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, and other prominent publications attest to renewed interest in European literature in translation, and this collection is an incisive entry in the genre.
190 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2008
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October 19, 2015
“Home, down there, reformation and revolution in political, social, and public life is needed, and literature should enable this revolution to happen. All is muddy in our homeland” – Ivan Cankar, quoted in the introduction by Čander and Šteger
This short story collection reveals the truth of the latter half of Cankar’s words: although for Slovenia the political and social revolutions have occurred, and independence gained, there is still a lot of dissatisfaction and confusion in society. This collection of 19 stories by prominent Slovenian writers touches on the neurosis, the incoherence of thought and the desperation experienced by so many in modern day Slovenia, and modern day life in general.
The introduction gives a succinct history of Slovenian literature and how it helped forge Slovene culture, and unite the people by promoting a literary language and repertoire. Because of the efforts of people from the past, Slovenia has a strong literary heritage that is evidenced in the richness of its current offerings.
“The Fall of the House of Pirnat” by Maja Novak, is a dark and funny tale of the burden of gratitude and the complications of overcoming prejudices. The Pirnat family is grateful to “Bootso, the Bosnian” for saving the life of their youngest child by catching him when he tumbles off a balcony. So they invite him to dinner. They don’t speak Bosnian, and his Slovenian is just as weak, but they manage to hobble through the “thank you” dinner. His behavior is tacky and rude, but the worst part is that he won’t go away! The Pirnats’ struggle with his constant appearance for a weekly dinner, which causes them to feel guilty and they constantly remind themselves that he saved their son. At first Mr. Pirnat intellectualizes why they should be tolerant of Bootso; after all, as a Bosnian he has had struggles. But as the story goes on the Pirnats’ prejudice against Bosnians, not just Bootso, emerges. Comments about how there are a lot of Bootsos in the city are made. Finally, in an effort to rid themselves of them they flee Ljubljana and hilarity ensues as their odyssey gets more absurd. The story’s satirical tone highlights the difficulties that well-meaning people struggle with when it comes to trying to make friends with people who have been seen as enemies, or at least as intruders.
Several of the stories deal with the pitfalls of long-term relationships: how do you keep romance? How do you deal with betrayal? How do you truly communicate with those who are supposed to be closest to you? How do you help a partner who is spiraling out of control? The answers provided by the main characters are, sadly, often not good enough to resolve these important issues but only help them to “survive.” “History is Written by the Winner” by Dušan Čater, deals with a couple who release their anxiety by playing rubber band tag. It is childish, potentially dangerous, and takes their minds off of situations that are out of their control. They are probably the “healthiest” couple in the book, though communication is lacking.
“It’s a Good Thing Too” by Andrej Blatnik, takes a realistic look at infidelity. Having discovered his wife and best friend in bed together, a series of uncomfortable conversations happen. Ultimately it is decided that this doesn’t have to be a tragedy, like the news or movies want it to be. Relationships are hard, mistakes are made.
There is a similarity in the writing style connecting the disparate stories; there is often a sense of anonymity. In several stories the characters lack names. This promotes a sense of secrecy, but also the idea that these thoughts and incidents could happen to anyone. Most of the stories are told in the first person. The narrators feel a chasm between them and the other characters in the stories. The selections in this anthology seem to really focus on a feeling of isolation and being lost in a world that is perhaps changing too quickly for them. There is also sense of complacency running through the stories, as though it isn’t worth making a change because something new will eventually degrade to this state too.
“On Angels” reflects this mentality. A group of 30 somethings hang around on the street destroying their lives with alcohol. Their apathy and cynicism go beyond the obvious alcohol addiction. Their lives have either proved too hard or too complicated to try to “make something of themselves.” You can’t fail if you do nothing. Relationships show this too. “Like My Brother” by Miha Mazzini and “Under the Surface” by Mojca Kumerdej reveal the tragedies that can happen when changes are thrust upon people that they’re not ready for.
And yet, sometimes epiphanies happen too. “To See Žiri and Die” by Tomaž Kosmač ends with a Joycean style, subtle understanding about life. Life may seem useless at times, but in reality it is full of sensations and experiences, but you have to be open to them. In “To Serve or Not to Serve” by Mohor Hudej, the main character has an epiphany about human kindness when compassion is shown to him after he acts like a complete jerk. The bartender in the story shows the narrator that there has to be a better way to live and to communicate with the people in his life.
The editors selected stories that reveal the angst of modern living. While they focus on life in Slovenia, and mostly on the generation after the fall of Yugoslavia, people outside of the region can relate to the stresses and fears, and terrible choices made in an attempt to protect themselves, that the characters experience in this collection.
This short story collection reveals the truth of the latter half of Cankar’s words: although for Slovenia the political and social revolutions have occurred, and independence gained, there is still a lot of dissatisfaction and confusion in society. This collection of 19 stories by prominent Slovenian writers touches on the neurosis, the incoherence of thought and the desperation experienced by so many in modern day Slovenia, and modern day life in general.
The introduction gives a succinct history of Slovenian literature and how it helped forge Slovene culture, and unite the people by promoting a literary language and repertoire. Because of the efforts of people from the past, Slovenia has a strong literary heritage that is evidenced in the richness of its current offerings.
“The Fall of the House of Pirnat” by Maja Novak, is a dark and funny tale of the burden of gratitude and the complications of overcoming prejudices. The Pirnat family is grateful to “Bootso, the Bosnian” for saving the life of their youngest child by catching him when he tumbles off a balcony. So they invite him to dinner. They don’t speak Bosnian, and his Slovenian is just as weak, but they manage to hobble through the “thank you” dinner. His behavior is tacky and rude, but the worst part is that he won’t go away! The Pirnats’ struggle with his constant appearance for a weekly dinner, which causes them to feel guilty and they constantly remind themselves that he saved their son. At first Mr. Pirnat intellectualizes why they should be tolerant of Bootso; after all, as a Bosnian he has had struggles. But as the story goes on the Pirnats’ prejudice against Bosnians, not just Bootso, emerges. Comments about how there are a lot of Bootsos in the city are made. Finally, in an effort to rid themselves of them they flee Ljubljana and hilarity ensues as their odyssey gets more absurd. The story’s satirical tone highlights the difficulties that well-meaning people struggle with when it comes to trying to make friends with people who have been seen as enemies, or at least as intruders.
Several of the stories deal with the pitfalls of long-term relationships: how do you keep romance? How do you deal with betrayal? How do you truly communicate with those who are supposed to be closest to you? How do you help a partner who is spiraling out of control? The answers provided by the main characters are, sadly, often not good enough to resolve these important issues but only help them to “survive.” “History is Written by the Winner” by Dušan Čater, deals with a couple who release their anxiety by playing rubber band tag. It is childish, potentially dangerous, and takes their minds off of situations that are out of their control. They are probably the “healthiest” couple in the book, though communication is lacking.
“It’s a Good Thing Too” by Andrej Blatnik, takes a realistic look at infidelity. Having discovered his wife and best friend in bed together, a series of uncomfortable conversations happen. Ultimately it is decided that this doesn’t have to be a tragedy, like the news or movies want it to be. Relationships are hard, mistakes are made.
There is a similarity in the writing style connecting the disparate stories; there is often a sense of anonymity. In several stories the characters lack names. This promotes a sense of secrecy, but also the idea that these thoughts and incidents could happen to anyone. Most of the stories are told in the first person. The narrators feel a chasm between them and the other characters in the stories. The selections in this anthology seem to really focus on a feeling of isolation and being lost in a world that is perhaps changing too quickly for them. There is also sense of complacency running through the stories, as though it isn’t worth making a change because something new will eventually degrade to this state too.
“On Angels” reflects this mentality. A group of 30 somethings hang around on the street destroying their lives with alcohol. Their apathy and cynicism go beyond the obvious alcohol addiction. Their lives have either proved too hard or too complicated to try to “make something of themselves.” You can’t fail if you do nothing. Relationships show this too. “Like My Brother” by Miha Mazzini and “Under the Surface” by Mojca Kumerdej reveal the tragedies that can happen when changes are thrust upon people that they’re not ready for.
And yet, sometimes epiphanies happen too. “To See Žiri and Die” by Tomaž Kosmač ends with a Joycean style, subtle understanding about life. Life may seem useless at times, but in reality it is full of sensations and experiences, but you have to be open to them. In “To Serve or Not to Serve” by Mohor Hudej, the main character has an epiphany about human kindness when compassion is shown to him after he acts like a complete jerk. The bartender in the story shows the narrator that there has to be a better way to live and to communicate with the people in his life.
The editors selected stories that reveal the angst of modern living. While they focus on life in Slovenia, and mostly on the generation after the fall of Yugoslavia, people outside of the region can relate to the stresses and fears, and terrible choices made in an attempt to protect themselves, that the characters experience in this collection.
Displaying 1 of 1 review