The Judgment of Richard Richter

by Igor Štiks, Ellen Elias-Bursać (Translator)

In this gripping, war-torn epic novel, author Igor Štiks, a nominee for the IMPAC Dublin Award, tells the story of a celebrated writer who travels to Sarajevo to unearth devastating family secrets and the lies that have defined his life.

Author Richard Richter’s mother and father were always phantoms, both parents having died by the time he was four. His life, now at a crossroads, has been a jumble of invention, elusive memories, and handed-down stories. But when Richard finds his mother’s hidden notebook, written by her during World War II, he discovers a confession that was never meant to be read by anyone—least of all, her son.

,p>Richard’s quest for the truth about his life leads him to an embattled Sarajevo. In the chaos of the besieged city, he discovers something more: a transformative romance and unexpected new friendships that will change the course of his search. But fate has been playing with all of them. And just as fate determines the lives of the characters in his novel, a betrayal reaching back half a century has yet to loosen its grip—on Richard, on everyone he has come to love, and on those he has no choice but to try to forgive.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Historical, Ebooks, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Igor Štiks spent his childhood in Sarajevo, but lived in Zagreb, Croatia since the Bosnian War started in 1992. He studied comparative literature and philosophy at the University of Zagreb.

He was a postgraduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), where he received a master degree in Philosophy and he was working for Northwestern University (USA, Chicago) as a teaching assistant for Global History I. In March 2009 he defended his PhD thesis 'A Laboratory of Citizenship: Nations and Citizenship in the Former Yugoslavia and its Successor States'.

He has published two novels: A Castle in Romagna in 2000 and Elijah's Chair in 2006. A Castle in Romagna received the award for best first novel in Croatia in 2000. To date it has been translated into German, Spanish, French, and English. The second book as well has been rewarded as the best Croatian book of 2006 and it has won the prestigious Ksaver Sandor Gjalski prize. The English translation was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for 2006 and the book has been translated into ten languages to date.

His fiction, literary criticism and essays have appeared widely in journals and reviews of the former Yugoslavia. His story 'At the Sarajevo Market' was included in Best European Fiction 2010, published by Dalkey Archive Press. He is the editor of anthologies of new Croatian prose fiction and international short fiction in English.

Igor Štiks currently lives in Edinburg, Scotland and works for University of Edinburgh, School of Law as Postdoctoral Research Fellow.

Reviews

[Weltschmerz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Još jedan u nizu ovdašnjih primera toga šta se desi kada student književnosti žarko želi da piše fikciju.

Elijahova stolica je roman koji sam kupila na nekom sajmu knjiga, pre 5, 6 godina, i to zato što sam čini mi se na fakultetu od nekih profesora čula oduševljene utiske. Sad kad mi je konačno došao na red za čitanje, ne mogu se oteti utisku da su ti profesori u autoru prepoznali sopstvene skribomanske ambicije.

Ono što se ne može sporiti je da je Štiks načitan i obrazovan, nije neznalica, vešto koristi reference na klasična dela, jasno je da mnogo toga zna, čemu svedoči i njegov širi društveni angžman. To, međutim, i dalje ne znači da treba da se bavi pisanjem fikcije.

Ovaj njegov nagrađivani i koliko vidim prevođeni roman naslanja se na korpus dela koja za temu imaju razotkrivanje tajne o jevrejskom poreklu protagoniste. Sam ovaj izbor teme je iz moje perspektive škakljiv, jer 1) neizbežna su poređenja sa veštijim prethodnicima 2) vrlo je važna perspektiva iz koje bi trebalo pristupiti temi kako se ne bi skrenulo u banalnost. U ovom slučaju, izvedba je predvidiva, banalna i neuverljiva. Otuda roman ne funkcioniše ni kao misterija, a kamoli na nekom dubljem, recimo filozofskom nivou. Ne daje nikakve odgovore, što je u redu, ali ni ne postavlja pitanja, što sam njegov smisao čini krajnje upitnim. Kada na to dodamo nepotrebno dramatičan, visokoparan, patetičan stil, čitanje na momente postaje gotovo komično iskustvo, a trebalo bi da bude potpuno suprotno.

Ne mogu da ne spomenem još i to da se autor 2006. godine služi tehnikom pronađenog rukopisa, jer je valjda o tome učio na fakultetu, pa je bilo zgodno primeniti, ne znam... To naravno po sebi ne bi bilo nedopustivo da i sve ostalo u vezi s ovom knjigom nije toliko već viđeno.

Možda su kasniji Štiksovi romani zreliji i veštije napisani, a ja sam prestroga usled nekih očekivanja koja sam vođena hvalospevima imala... Ali ne verujem da ću proveravati.

[Katya · Rating 5 out of 5]

намагаюся рідко використовувати тут лайку, але це розйоб, і я в захваті.

від останніх ста сторінок у мене перехоплювало подих і, мабуть, цей стан не відпустить ще якийсь час.

це настільки майстерно складена історія, де кожна сюжетна лінія знаходить свій логічний кінець. написано також пречудово, стиль Ігора Штікса проникливий, щемкий, слова тут дуже пасують одне одному і створюють для читача надемоційні відгуки.

крім того, що сам сюжет чіпляє важливе у серці, створює дилеми та очікування, його обставини – воєнне Сараєво. автор описує їх так, що й умови облоги стають частиною книги, підсвічує болі, цинізм і несправедливості війни у 1992 році (які ми можемо бачити й зараз).

у центрі самої історії – письменник, що шукає батька, але ця книга багатошарова і це лише вступна частина, за якою читач отримує ще багато сюжетних поворотів, що вражають все більше і більше. і якщо на початку цього може бути не відчутно, то з кожним розділом історія масштабніє.

я вгадала, як розвиватиметься одна сюжетна лінія, але це не зіпсувало вражень, а скоріше просто притлумило одне з можливих потрясінь цієї книги.

тож вау-вау.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't want to be a mean girl, but this book was just awful. I was really excited about the premise but two pages in I knew it was terrible. The prose is just so bogged down, and I figured out the twist about 30% in. It was completely obvious and just...gross.

[Magen - Inquiring Professional Dog Trainer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings: Suicide (not graphically depicted); suicide ideation (discussed at length); wartime violence (not graphically depicted); incest (discussed at length; not graphically depicted)

While I enjoyed this book more than I expected, it is not a book for everyone. It is a work of true literary fiction, in the style of Dostoevsky and Joyce, with long descriptive sentences, which often contemplate on the ideas of fate, war, destiny, and identity. Long passages in the book debate and reflect on these ideas, without really moving the plot forward. This style of writing can be boring to some, laborious to others, and enjoyable to readers like me.

The Judgment of Richard Richter is written in the first person with Richard Richter narrating and writing a personal memoir, thus going back and forth between his writing of the memoir and the actual story he is writing the memoir about, sometimes without clear transitions signaling the change in timeline. Richter is a writer who upon separating from his wife, moves back in with the aunt who raised him. It is here where Richter finds the information that upends the truth of his life and sends him searching for answers. To say much more would give away large sections of the plot.

In Richter’s search, there are plot points which become obvious before they are related to the reader and then other plot points which come as a surprise. Much of what is obvious is meant to be so as Richter himself greatly alludes to how certain parts of his story play out. This is connected to the theme of fate, as though it was inevitable for certain things to happen, and in the present, he laments on the cruelty of fate. These lamentations are often melodramatic and highlight Richter’s cynical nature. This follows the writing style of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, two of several authors whom Richter references in his writings and calls them friends.

The story unfolds slowly, spending time building up all the necessary pieces and giving enough depth to the main characters to make the reader more invested in their story. The tone throughout the book is foreboding and suggests there will not be a happy ending. Richter makes that clear as he sits in Vienna writing down the events which recently transpired. Yet, the story is not sad, it simply feels inevitable, and thus, one walks away with more satisfaction from having learned all the details than with sadness for all which has transpired.

This writing style is not for everyone as in addition to the long descriptive sentences and passages, Štiks makes uses of literary references and other languages. There are several specific references to several specific books and if one has not read those stories, it can be a bit challenging to understand the deeper symbolism, but one can still understand the plot. These references can at times be lengthy and used as explanation for what is happening in the scene. The story also makes use of many different languages including French, German, Bosnian, and Spanish and these phrases are only rarely translated. There are also times when one is not quite able to garner their meaning from the context. Richter argues that Simon’s use of all these languages mixed in with his English makes his speech richer. While for the most part, the use of untranslated language did add to the book, there were a few times it was frustrating and partly detracted from the book.

As one can garner from the trigger warnings, this subject matter is not for everyone. The theme of suicide and incest are throughout the book, making it advisable to pass on this book if discussions of such topics are triggering for you. The book is not graphic in its depictions of any potentially triggering scene, but the sheer length and depth of discussion around particularly incest could potentially be as triggering. The theme of suicide is throughout the book, but it is not discussed to the same length or depth as incest is. In addition to the discussion of incest itself, there are several references to Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Max Frish’s Homo Faber.

I found this to be a beautifully written book contemplating fate through a slowly developing story, but one of my favorite novels is Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. I found the long contemplation on various concepts to be engaging, but I enjoy deep, intellectual conversations and reflections. I enjoyed the long sentences and long passages with descriptive, overly written language, though I appreciated that it was more accessible than Dostoevsky and Joyce. I did not mind that the book was long and that there was not much in the way of plot. This is the style of book I am looking for when it is labeled literary fiction and I am so glad this book satisfied. A decent number of books today do not live up to the literary fiction labels, but this one does.

This review is originally posted on Amazon as Maygin Reads and also posted on my blog. Please visit!

I received this book free through the Kindle First program, though this did not effect the honesty of this review.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing about this book is the same as writing about some stranger that you met somewhere. Put it in a context of gallery, theater, book presentation instead of a street, bar, cinema. You’ve mingled around the same people, you and this person but you've never been acquainted and you've never spoken before although you have maybe exchanged a few eye contacts. But shy ones, and still undefined from your side as his were probably just a product of skimming around.

But now for a split of second while observing the room, those stranger's eyes glanced over you again, while your heart stuttered deeper and your breath got caught up between sweet anxiety and expectation. You felt those tingles down your spine and you already started cracking your fingers, wondering what's happening. You know what is happening but a sudden avalanche of insecurity is making your knees wobble as those stranger’s eyes are looking at you.

Here he comes with a glass of wine but you just inhale like you are seventeen and left alone for the first time on the train station. ''Do you like red wine?... I saw you are not drinking and I thought you’d like some'', he asks you. You nod, ordering yourself to pull yourself together. ''There were some dry figs as well but not everyone loves them so I thought I better not bring them too, there is time...'' What do you say to a person that you begin to like so much.

At the end of the night he invites you to join him for a dinner tomorrow and when he starts leaving, he touches your left eyebrow and cheek. You wince with a question. ''Oh, you didn’t have anything on it, if that is what you are asking. This is not a typical you have mustard on your face situation, is it?'', and he starts smiling reflecting your own mood. He turns around and you miss him.

The day after, he tricks you to talk about yourself as he pours you another drink. He hands you a handkerchief when you suddenly sneeze because a waiter opened restaurant’s door and the wind with linden tree pollen barged in, touched your bare feet and tickled your nose. You talk about cities that disappeared within your memories, newspapers, people you might know, small apartments, theatre and food. Spirally you go deeper with your conversation and as your fingers start playing with your necklace, he tells you about his voyages and articles he’d written, desires, identity and despair that roads left within him. ''What is the most valuable thing that you have'', he asks you. ''I don’t know'', she is surprised with this question. ''Well, I know. It’s this. It’s rare and I love how you open your nostrils when you want to say something as if you don’t have all the time in the world...''

Why did I invent this introduction? Because it was so easy for me to fall in love with this book from its first page. It was the easiest thing I’ve ever done in a literal way, love for this book came naturally and inevitably.

On the last page of this book which I took from the library, there was this beautiful hand-written note from an older person, previous reader, something that’s not so common anymore to find in borrowed. She wrote: ‘Beautiful, but sad and excruciating.’ And it’s just like she said, it’s a very toilsome and wearying story of one city and I ached during the reading. It was irresistibly intimate and I couldn’t put it down.

In 2004, Igor Štiks was just 27 years old. And he writes with such rare insight and truth that you start believing that he is what is called 'an old soul', because it’s one thing to write about existentialism if you are just bored out of your mind and it’s different when you read this immaculate and seductive love poem that Štiks devoted to his vulnerable city and his people.

His philosophical degree is all present and he leads us through his mystical maze of tragedy with an open palm. He hides nothing and bares everything. There is so much that you can take from this book: but ultimately - life’s fragility and poignant beauty.

[Samantha (AK) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sarajevo, 1992: Having discovered that his father was not his father, a man arrives in the city seeking answers. Along the way, he falls into an ill-fated adulterous affair with a woman 20 years his junior. But what he uncovers in Sarajevo ultimately leads him to his own destruction.

The summary would have you believe that this is some gripping tale of discovery and self reflection set amidst the chaos of the Siege of Sarajevo (1992 - 1996). It's actually the story of a self-absorbed fifty-year-old novelist who continually breaks out of the narrative to marinate in his own self-hatred about the events he eventually gets around to revealing to the reader.

There is some beautiful prose, but it's utterly wasted on what is essentially pretentious navel-gazing flavored with suicidal ideation and nostalgia. There's a great deal of effort to be profound, but it tries too hard. The too-obvious foreshadowing gave away the 'twist' within the first 3rd of the book. (Hint: they spend whole chapters discussing Frisch's Homo Faber, as well as Oedipus Rex)

Clumsy, overwritten, and enamored of its own importance. Not recommended.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Історія краху людини на тлі краху країни. Я вперше читаю настільки глибоку історію війни, де Місто – то Сараєво, а війна – в Югославії, але то далеко не найважливіше. Особиста трагедія стає встократ дієвішою, ніж снайпери та шрапнель. І це краще від тревелогів, краще за усі путівники разом взяті. Моя перша книга хорватського автора. Абсолютне відкриття цього літа.

[Introverticheart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zachwycająca, pochłaniająca bez dwóch zdań. Krzesło Eliasza niewątpliwie jest powieścią niezwykłą, naspikowaną motywami biblijnymi i mitologicznymi, konstytuującymi europejską kulturę, historią o umieraniu i rodzeniu się na nowo.

Nie jest to typowa, sentymentalna książka o odkrywaniu rodzinnych sekretów, a wyrasta z wielu osobistych doświadczeń autora i choć portretowane rodzinne Sarajewo w stanie wojny wydaje się być odzwierciedleniem prywatnej i narodowej traumy, Štiks dokonuje tutaj rozliczeń z dramatyczną historią bałkańską przez pryzmat europejskich doświadczeń kulturowych.
Sarajewo, odkrywane przez przybyłego Obcego, jest specyficzną klatką, w której zamknięto mieszkańców Bośni w 1992 r.

Na stronach powieści towarzyszą nam teksty Frischa, Kawafisa, Homera, Durrela, a także – Zbigniewa Herberta, którego „Raport z oblężonego miasta” stanie się poetyckim komentarzem do losów Sarajewa roku 1992.

Štiks w swojej dostojnej i pasjonującej powieści ukazuje istotę konfliktu bałkańskiego, choć daleki jest od politykowania.

Czym jest umieranie i odradzanie się? Dlaczego wojny z 1942 i 1992roku dzielące zaledwie pół wieku,tak silnie są ze sobą powiązane, jaką wartość ma literatura wobec okrucieństwa i dehumnizacji, w końcu czy możliwe jest żyć dalej, kiedy żyło się do tej pory złudzeniami?

Pełen zachwyt

[Zillah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be a classic one day, l'm sure of it! It's been a while since l've read something so masterfully written, so real, so alive.. A book that l'll surely come back to a few more times coz it left me with a feeling that the characters grew to be my friends as l read along- l felt their fears, their suffering, their love.. I felt as if l had been walking with them through the streets of Sarajevo, as if l had been sharing with them their secrets.. Everyone should read this book!

[Korana Serdarević · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already a classic. Story, characters, style. Everything about this book is pure literature.

[Xavier Roelens · Rating 1 out of 5]

Moderne literatuur kenmerkt zich door een 'unieke stijl': een eigen, aparte stem. De kracht ervan is dat een auteur uitgesproken keuzes maakt, waar de lezer zich toe moet verhouden. En soms ook eens niet van kan houden.
De stem in deze roman ligt me niet. Hij zegt de hele tijd dat hij zal schrijven over wat hem overkomen, maar vooruitwijzingen werken bij mij contraproductief. Zeker omdat hij het bijna een hele roman door doet. Het is melodramatisch. Ook koketteert hij met het pistool waarmee hij zich, eens zijn relaas neergeschreven is, het leven zal ontnemen. Gaap. Ik heb kortom geen zin om naar deze stem te blijven luisteren.

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Richard Richter was an orphan by the age of four and was raised by his aunt. After finding an old notebook of his mother's written during World War II, Richard's life is changed forever. He sets out on a quest to find out more about his father. The search for answers leads him to a war torn Sarajevo where Richard soon learns that the truth doesn't always set you free.

To say this book is unusual is putting it mildly. I don't like to give spoilers in my reviews but I will say I thought the big reveal of Richard's father was too predictable. It's hard to say whether the author intentionally made it obvious or was hoping to catch the reader off guard. While I didn't enjoy that aspect of the book, the aftermath of how Richard dealt with that information at least held my interest. I thought the setting of Sarajevo in 1992 really added to the story as well. The story unfolds as the city is being torn apart by war and the author does a good job in showing what the city was like during that time period.

One of the other problems I had with the book was I felt the writing was melodramatic at times. I'm not sure if part of that is because this book was translated from another language, but there were numerous times where it just was a little too much. The worst examples of this are when you are reading Richard's thoughts, particularly in the beginning of the book.

[David Isaak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a classic someday. At the end of the Great Gatsby, Fizgerald writes, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” The Judgment of Richard Richter is a meditation on that theme set against two of the horrors or the twentieth century: World War II and the Bosnian war. The past comes back to haunt the narrator, Richard Richter in very personal ways. By current literary standards, this novel is old fashioned. No unreliable narrators (some may disagree with this, but I think not), no irony, no literary tricks: just the power of a well told, tragic story. The novel is a Greek tragedy set in the 20th century, and is unabashedly unashamed of that fact. Some have criticized the novel's "twist" for being too obvious. But that is exactly the point. Like Greek tragedy, we know exactly where the novel is going (Stiks makes very sure of that), yet we are pulled along--unable to stop the inexorable pull of history and fate. Like Greek tragedy, the novel mixes the political and the personal superbly. A tour de force. I give it my highest recommendation.

[J.S. Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.
Literary, overly ponderous style with a self-absorbed narrator. From the first pages, one knows the narrator will commit suicide. Throughout the work, numerous instances occur of not merely foreshadowing but divulging what will happen and which become annoying.

Other than the Sarajevo setting, does not add much insight or novelty to the shoah-based genre.

[Temz · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Елiяховият стол“ е четиво, което би трябвало да бъде четено и препрочитано. Това не е книга само за любителите на история или на политика. С наслагването на политическите и литературните си пластове, това е роман, в който сякаш е сложено всичко, което е трябвало да се сложи, превръщайки го не на последно място в смел урок по хуманност, който трябва да се преповтаря редовно. И най-вече урок как да бъдеш балканец по един нов начин. Надхвърлящ човешкото.
http://www.knijno.blogspot.com/2015/0...

[Fabian Fallada · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Ik wil hier alles optekenen wat me in de afgelopen maanden is overkomen. Of ik hierin zal slagen, en of ik het zal overleven, waag ik te betwijfelen.' Met deze onheilszwangere woorden uit de pen van de gevierde schrijver Richard Richter opent 'De stoel van Elijah' (De Bezige Bij), de tweede roman van de jonge Kroaat Igor Stiks.

Wanneer zijn vrouw 'm verlaat, besluit Richard Parijs in te ruilen voor zijn geboortestad Wenen. In het huis van de tante die 'm opvoedde stuit hij tijdens een verbouwing stoemelings op een notitieboekje waarin zijn moeder - ze overleed in het kraambed - een nooit verstuurde brief neerpende voor haar minnaar, tevens Richards echte vader.

Hij beseft dat die woorden uit 1941 zijn leven hebben 'vermalen tot stof dat door geen enkele kracht ooit weer in zijn oude staat kon worden gebracht', maar in plaats van het met stoffer en blik bijeen te vegen trekt hij als oorlogsverslaggever naar het belegerde Sarajevo, de voormalige thuisstad van zijn vader, en gaat er delven naar zijn kersverse verleden.

Samen met zijn jonge tolk Ivor zet Richard een documentaire op het getouw over een toneelgezelschap dat de roman 'Homo Faber' van Max Frisch voor de planken bewerkt. Maar wanneer hij de charismatische en bloedmooie actrice Alma ontmoet, schiet het verlangen in 'm wakker en rukt hij - in plaats van dichter bij de verlossing te komen - de strop steeds vaster om zijn hals: 'We kunnen voor bepaalde verlangens maar beter op onze hoede zijn. Die verdragen het niet om genegeerd te worden. Juist wanneer we ervan verlost menen te zijn, gaan ze in vervulling, als nachtmerries.'

Ook al wemelt Stiks' roman van de verwijzingen naar de Griekse mythologie (zij het nooit té opzichtig of pedant) en is elke zin doordesemd van de gruwelijke onontkoombaarheid van het noodlot, toch treft het slot van 'De stoel van Elijah' de lezer als een moker. Vooral de manier waarop Richard het brandende schuldgevoel in zijn ingewanden probeert te blussen, gaat door merg en been: 'Iemand het recht op de waarheid ontnemen als die erdoor vernietigd kan worden, is geen misdaad maar een plicht.'

In de epiloog trapt Ivor het stof van Richard's verwoeste leven en dat van zijn geliefden nog verder in de grond, maar we hadden liever niet gelezen hoe Stiks 'm nog snel wat losse verhaaleinden aan elkaar laat knopen en de waarheid achter enkele vage suggesties openbaart.

Niettemin: gewéldige roman.

[Selina Siak Chin Yoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the sort of book one would describe as 'enjoyable' - because of its themes - but I was impressed by the writing style and some of the techniques Stiks uses. The story is set across Paris, Vienna and Sarajevo during the Bosnian war. I'd visited Sarajevo four years prior to the start of that war and this novel made me want to go back, which says something about its powers of evocation.

The protagonist is a famous author who finds himself in Sarajevo as he tries to figure out the truth about his roots. The war has just started and the city is under daily bombardment. Along the way the famous author meets a motley crew, some of whom will be central to the revelation of who he is.

I loved the way the story moves towards its denouement; there's a moment when it suddenly dawns on you what's coming and you say, a-ha! My only complaint is that there's a bit too much foreshadowing in places. And the use of too many exclamation marks, but I realised at the end that was related to the main character.

[Pilar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Las estrictas últimas páginas han estado a punto de darle una estrella más, pero finalmente ha podido más la sensación durante la lectura del resto del libro, no me ha gustado la historia y ganaba interés cuando describe el escenario en que se desarrolla, el comienzo de la guerra en Sarajevo, por lo demás a las primeras insinuaciones averigüé el final, y ya se me hizo pesado ir descubriendo lo que ya no era misterio.
En cuanto al estilo, como casi todo está narrado por el protagonista, es alambicado y pretencioso, eso puede ser deliberado, como notas de la personalidad del personaje, pero insisto, como constantemente va anticipando cosas que pasarán va autodestruyendo el factor sorpresa que pudiera jugar a su favor.

Quizá si para mí los tópicos del destino, la casualidad, la fatalidad, etcétera, no hubiesen sido tan obvios tendría esas estrellas que otros lectores le dan, porque está bien escrito y plantea una situación clásica y original a la vez.

[Sboysen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally trudged through this book. Richard Richter enters war torn Sarajevo to find his real father. The story is actually a manuscript he has written and leaves to his friend. Early on in the manuscript he puts to words exactly what I was thinking of his cumbersome writing. "But this wretched report will find its way there if I do not rein myself in, if the story doesn’t come bubbling up out of me too soon." No chance of that! It is beautiful writing but I thought he'd never get to the mystery of finding his father. The final third of the book as well as the epilogue earned the four stars I gave it.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded to 3
I loved the premise of the book. A man finds a secret diary from his mother and that leads him to Sarajevo to find his past. However, the execution was lacking. There is a lot of hard subject matter, much of it was expected, Sarajevo in the 90s, his parents in Europe during WWII. Other things felt like an odd choice from the author.
I felt the writing was OK, or at least the translation was, but it did drag on in parts. I never enjoyed the characters. I did feel that the ending was fitting for the book as it wrapped up the multiple storylines.
All in all 2.5 stars but I am not going to pick up more from this author.

[Iryna Chernyshova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Багатопатосний бульварний роман навіщось в декораціях Сараєво.

[Cari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Judgment of Richard Richter was my Kindle First selection for the month of August.

There are very few settings more haunting than war-torn Sarajevo. Under the dark veil of suffering and violence in a city under seige, lies the very essence of humanity: the ability to find love among the pain, hope among the wreckage.
"The window was open and through it came the familiar voices of a Sarajevo wartime night. Somebody is dying. Somebody feels the pain of a wounded body. Somebody is mourning. Somebody is squeezing a trigger. Somebody is snuffing a candle. Somebody is making love. Somebody is living their last days."

As it is hard for me to grasp the fact that these events in Sarajevo occurred during my lifetime, it's also difficult for me to grasp that this novel was written in the 21st century. The author's writing style makes it feel as if this is a classic novel; in terms of language, dialogue, and pace. There were long stretches of the book in which the characters discussed different theatrical adaptations of books and had debates of philosophical and political natures, and I struggled to get through these parts. While these sections decreased my overall enjoyment of the novel, I can't say that I wasn't deeply moved at the novel's end. I'm always hesitant to read books that were translated from their original language, as I feel like the beauty is sometimes lost, but I did not at all feel that way about The Judgment of Richard Richter .

I just can't justify giving this less than five stars. Richard Richter's foray into bullet and bomb stricken Sarajevo in search for himself was bleak, but so incredibly well-written.
☆☆☆☆☆

[Michelle Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry

A five star rating, except for the slow, slow beginning. I was nearly 3/4 thru the book before it grabbed me. The reason I kept at it was the sheer poetry, the way the author expressed his views. I'm a word geek, a metaphor lover, even when the plot plods. As it turned out, the effort was worth it. A Greek tragedy in modern garb. I shall carry it with me for a long time.

[Irma Raukovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the beginning, I struggled with this book, but then I was completely pulled in. I lived the life of Richard Richter, I felt his love, his pain, I sought for the truth with him. Marvelous book, extraordinary circled by stories inside a story, philosophic aspects and classic literature with a pinch of fantasy.

[Ladory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be whiney and repetitive at first. It's written in first person and seemed very much autobiographical and overly emotional. I experienced the guy to be vague whenever he said something political or philosophical though he was reputed to be a great commentator. He kept repeating that something dire was going to happen that ruined his life and that of several others, but I had no idea what it was. He appears to be sitting at a desk in a hotel writing about his life with a gun next to his paper. He goes on and on about this circumstance that brought about his ruin and that it was all due to destiny and he had very little to do with the outcome. He wrote a lot about a German book called Homo Faber. I had never heard of it and could not relate to these references. I did manage to look it up and now have the movie from Netflix here in my home. So much of this Richard Richter book consisted of a conversation about him as a victim that he was having in his own head without much action. It took place in Sarajevo and even though he wrote of the war going on there, I never got enough details about the war to understand it. I vaguely remember reading about it in the news. I suppose it was about ethnic cleansing. I was tempted to give up on this book, but I knew it had won awards so I continued on.

However, about 65% of the way through it, it suddenly became riveting. The reason for the character's despair became crystal clear and I could hardly put it down. From then on, it was pretty much all action. Then I was torn as to whether I think it's good enough to recommend to my book club. It's pretty heavy reading, through a lot of it.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a goodreads giveaway. I have made it a point to read more books by foreign authors, especially if translated, so I was happy to 'win' this one. I agree with other reviewers that it is easy to discern the twist about 30% into the book. Given the title, I hope that was intentional. For me, it made the story even more heart-wrenching and devastating.

Judgment is often premised on hindsight and/or with the advantage of knowing all of the facts in advance. In this book, I thought the author did a fantastic job of making the reader judge Richard long before he became aware of his own transgressions. It seems so simple to second guess choices, to say you would have done xyz differently, when you have the all of the information at your fingertips. It's much harder in the moment. I was saddened, but not surprised, by the ending.

In reading foreign authors, I have learned that culture absolutely shapes literature from various regions and it fascinates me. I also know that a translator can make or break a book. I think the culture is quite evident in this one and the translation is good, but I wondered, especially in certain passages that seemed particularly heavy/ponderous, if it would have been a 5 star book with a different translator. Overall, it is well worth reading and I will reflect on certain aspects of it for quite a while, I think.

[Rebecca Huenink · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a bit of time to enjoy. At first I was bothered by the constant dangling of the carrot. There's something big coming, wait for it, wait for it, wait.... Then about 30% in you know what that is, but it is not actually confirmed for quite some time (I think about 70%). So again you read constantly in suspense of confirming your suspicions. Yet somewhere along the way that stopped bothering me so much, and I just enjoyed the story. If enjoy is the right word.

It's tragic in that people must suffer through war in their city, their home, and watch as their world is destroyed. But it was a compelling story, refreshingly different than others, intriguing. And "war" is more of a setting than the subject of the novel. The real story is the characters. It's an age old tale with a slight twist. By the end I was fully invested. Worth my time, and happily read. I'll think about this often. The best Kindle free book of month I've read.

[Kismeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, a bit weird, not too obvious but just enough to make me guess the "thing" before it was actually revealed. Refreshingly un-American.

[Victor Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was a bit slow getting started, laying out the basic background of a Viennese man, who discovers at age 50 that his father was not Austrian by Yugoslavian, and Jewish. He decides to locate this man, long thought to be dead, and his search takes him to Sarajevo during the siege of the city by the Serbian forces.

The heart of the story takes place in Sarajevo: the friend he makes, the woman he meets, the two old men he meets through the woman. His own life disintegrates as the city itself is pounded by artillery and sniper bullets. The most interesting part of the novel, in my opinion, is the author's thoughts about Sarajevo - what it stood for, and what its destruction symbolizes.

I offer two quotes, from city residents, and one from a poet:

"In a war of clashing ethnicities, in which religion, background, first and last name played a key role and could determine life or death, or which camp or refugee destination to head for, or whether one was qualified to receive humanitarian aid from this or that charitable organization, Ivor preferred to define himself as a citizen of his besieged city and of the dismembered Bosnia. With disdain he dismissed ethnic pigeonholing, considering it the ultimate stupidity that so many people willingly gave up their earlier role of citizen to become mere Serbs, Muslims, or Croats."

"For years Sarajevo withstood. Its nature has been to welcome, since the Turks, since the city’s beginnings; we’ve all shared it, the Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish. Here together lived Slavs, Turks, Armenians, Arabs, Arnauts, and tutti quanti. The König und Kaiser days ushered in with them the Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Ashkenazim, Poles . . . During the time of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, all these people were moving around inside its borders, but then with the Second World War began the decimation, the curse."

"There’s no new land, my friend, no New sea; for the city will follow you, In the same streets you’ll wander endlessly, The same mental suburbs slip from youth to age, In the same house go white at last— The city is a cage. No other places, always this Your earthly landfall, and no ship exists To take you from yourself. Ah! don’t you see Just as you’ve ruined your life in this One plot of ground you’ve ruined its worth Everywhere now—over the whole earth?"

I find the novel very thoughtful and moving.

[Heather Doughty · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I won this book via the Goodreads Giveaway Program. This has not influenced my review.***

Wow! What a tale! This story delivers quite a punch with many things to discuss. I am sure a literature class could really have fun dissecting it all. Allegory, metaphors, comparisons to literature, symbolism - it's all in this book.

At first, this was a challenge to read. There are constant teasers about "the truth" and the narrators impending suicide. The repetitiveness of this made me want to quit reading. It also came across as being quite melodramatic. I really hoped this would even out, and it did. In hindsight, I understand the desperation the narrator felt, his despair for his situation, and his extreme loneliness.

The motive for this book is: "you will die that day and be born." I thought I understood this but found out I really didn't. When it happened in the book, it was a great reveal. It was truly predictable - you'd have to not be an experienced reader (?) to not see it coming. It's the "how" it was revealed that made it great. The idea of "the original lie" was intriguing. What would one do if at age 50 they found out that his or her entire life was a lie and family lineage is actually different than what one believed?

The general pace is slow and building. There are many details that give historic references to WWII and the war in Sarajevo. There are many references to classic literature and plays. There are also many stories. Many many stories that are used to illustrate points without telling the reader "this is the point."

In general, I enjoyed the translation. It felt smooth and natural. There were no strange words or phrases that stuck out. The writing itself gets bogged down with the before-mentioned repetition and melodramatics. I am really glad I hung in with this book and finished. Every part fits together nicely and makes a complete story.