Compartments

by Zoran Živković, Tamar Yellin (Contributor), Ito Youchan (Contributor)

On a strange train journey, in a series of six compartments, a traveller experiences unpredictable encounters, culminating in a meeting of epiphanic power. Through a narrative of dreamlike sharpness Compartments taps into the fears and absurdities, the beauties and mysteries of the unconscious mind, to achieve a consummation both moving and full of hope.

Genres: Fiction, Literature, Fantasy

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Zoran Živković was born in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, in 1948. In 1973 he graduated from the Department of General Literature with the theory of literature, Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade; he received his master's degree in 1979 and his doctorate in 1982 from the same school. He lives in Belgrade, Serbia, with his wife Mia, who is French, and their twin sons Uroš and Andreja. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology. He's received plenty of awards, one of them being the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella (The Library, 2003).

Reviews

[Glenn Russell]

Time to shift your imagination into high gear, here comes contemporary Serbian author Zoran Živković. Compartments, my goodness gracious, what a piece of Middle-European fantastica.

You may very well ask: And what, pray tell, is Middle-European fantastica? In an interview Zoran Živković lists the most common traits: 1) incorporating fantastic content that only deviates ever so slightly from reality; 2) protagonists are not glorious heroes but everyday individuals, frequently marginalized, attempting to find their way in a rapidly changing world.

More specifically, Zoran Živković learned approaches to writing Middle-European fantastica fiction from a number of grand masters - from E. T. A. Hoffmann: how to introduce fantastical elements with discretion; from Nikolai Gogol: how to increase the symbolic value of a fantastic story; from Mikhail Bulgakov, how to make the most of humor; from Franz Kafka: how to handle absurdity, from Valery Bryusov, how to achieve authenticity, from Stanislaw Lem: how to explore new roads within the world of the fantastic.

In addressing the so-called ultimate questions, questions like: where do we come from? why are we here? what is the reality of death and where are we going?, Zoran Živković acknowledges his fiction can be considered "metaphysical fantasies." And the writer who most influenced Zoran Živković in shaping his approach to these ultimate questions? None other than the master of the ultimate question - Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Let me pause here. There is one thing I'd like to shout out from the rooftops: Zoran Živković is a GREAT STORYTELLER! Compartments was an absolute joy to read. Charming, captivating, beguiling, dazzling, mesmerizing, full of surprises at every turn - an unforgettable tale written in less than 100 pages, short enough to read in a day or two. And there is that playful, childlike quality reminding me of traditional fairy tales or Roald Dahl or Neil Gaiman, fiction written at the opposite end of the literary spectrum from realistic, historical fiction by such Serbian authors as Borislav Pekić.

Also worth noting: Zoran Živković wrote non-fiction for many years and came to writing fiction in the first place at age forty-five: "The fact I was writing fiction quite astonished me, but what amazed me even more was my lack of any rational control over it. Somewhere beneath my conscious level, quite unknown to my rational self, a critical mass was gathering." And that part of the author's mind that is non-rational dictates his stories as he sits at his computer and types out what he is being told. Occasionally, he confesses, he becomes frustrated since the voice will speak at a faster speed than he can type. Poor Zoran Živković - he can only type tap-tap-tap with the index finger of his right hand. On further reflection, no so poor; I mean, what some writers would give to have such inspiration.

I can hear readers thinking: yeah, yeah, yeah, great to have your subconscious dictate your stories but surely the author must go back to revise and polish. Remarkably, the answer is 'no' - Zoran Živković does zero revision, his first draft is his final draft. And I have great news for readers around the globe: to date, over twenty of the author's short novels have been translated into English. Get ready, friends. More Zoran Živković reviews will be forthcoming from yours truly. Special thanks to Goodreads friend Forrest Aguirre for bringing this astonishing author to my attention.

Turning specifically to Compartments, we are treated to a substantial helping of humor of the absurd as we follow a gentleman traveler escorted by a conductor through a coach's six compartments. And between visits to each compartment, the tall, broad-shouldered conductor with bushy eyebrows takes on such roles as barber, tailor, chef, even dentist. The gentleman passenger is taken aback; he was hardly expecting such gold-plated service.

As to who and what our distinguish gentleman encounters in each of those compartments, I will leave for each reader to discover on her or his own. But, to serve up a small taste, here is a snatch from the first compartment: "I stopped at the entrance to the compartment. On the left, next to the door, sat a plump, balding man in a three-piece suit, with reading glasses halfway down his nose. His hands were busy knitting. A bright yellow scarf cascaded down from large knitting needles. The place next to his was empty, and beside the window (with the curtain drawn) was a tiny middle-aged woman dressed in black. The hat she was wearing was also black and had a lace veil that covered half her face. In her hands was an open book, small but thick, with a dark cover. On the right sat three young girls aged ten or eleven. They were wearing identical sailor suits, white knee socks, and patent leather shoes. Long braids dangled below their caps, and their faces were exactly similar." Sounds innocent enough . . . but, but, but, it isn't long before the middle-aged woman informs the gentleman her husband knitting away might look like he is still alive but, in fact, he died some time ago.

As I extolled above, a Zoran Živković tale is a charming, captivating, beguiling, dazzling, mesmerizing tale full of surprises. Preporučuje! One last note: you can read Compartments as a stand-alone book or as part of The Apex Book of World SF, edited by Lavie Tidhar, possibly available through your local library system.


Move over Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino, here comes a teller of fabulous tales second to none, Serbian author Zoran Živković, Born 1948

[Susan Budd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why does reading Zoran Zivkovic give me such a distinct and unshakable sense of déjà vu? At first, I assumed that his writing must remind me of another author, but try though I might, I can not think of who that could be.

I love the fantastic, the surreal, the absurd, so I thought of some authors I like to see if there was one who Zivkovic resembles. It’s not Franz Kafka. He’s too dark. Or Bruno Schultz. Too poetic. Or Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky. Too dense.

Like those masters of the absurd, Zivkovic infuses his tales with a dreamlike unreality. But unlike them, he has a simple and straightforward narrative style that is reminiscent of a fairy tale. He eschews description, character development, and philosophizing. In their place the reader finds endless novelty, snappy storytelling, and a deadpan sense of humor.

The title story, “Compartments,” should be my favorite, but it isn’t. I like it because it is the story that most resembles a dream. The narrator inexplicably finds himself in an absurd situation and he just goes along with it good-naturedly. The imagery is bizarre and the dialogue even more so. All this I like. But I expected some light to be shed on the five unusual objects.

I don’t mind ambiguous conclusions as long as they are not meaningless. The conclusion of “The Teashop,” for example, allows for interpretation of the final scene. However, the conclusion of “Compartments” does not. There is no way for the reader to even speculate about the meaning of the objects.

My favorite story is “First Photograph.” It’s hilarious. I’m glad I didn’t read it on the train because I would have had a big stupid grimace on my face and one does not want to have a big stupid grimace on one’s face in the New York City subway system.

I’m also quite fond of “The Telephone” and “Rendezvous in Front of the House,” both metafictional first person narratives. While I did enjoy “The Teashop” and “The Square,” I prefer the more self-reflexive stories.

And the déjà vu? It’s as strong as ever. Perhaps Zivkovic’s writing style really does remind me of another writer who I have forgotten. Or perhaps I have wanted to read these stories since long before they were written, so that now they only seem familiar. Either way, a mysterious and persistent sense of déjà vu feels appropriate with Zivkovic’s work. Instead of trying to dispel the feeling, I’ve decided to just give in to it, for I too am at home in the realm of the fantastic.

[Pavle Pešić · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short novel is very abstract. Even though I've read many of the author's books, it was tough to comprehend this one. Everything seems like you're in some dream. The book starts with the main protagonist barely catching the train. There, he meets other weird, irrational characters obsessed with unusual totems and plagued by a mysterious woman who visited them some time ago.
If you like symbolism and abstract thinking, you should read this novel.

[Killthehumans Savetheforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

lol WHAT