This Could Have Been a Simple Story

by Ajla Terzić, John K. Cox (Translator)

"In the context of pop culture, popular lyrics, sexual identities, transition in the Balkans, modern technologies, cynicism and irony, This Could Have Been a Simple Story sheds light on the problems of a very specific generation. The protagonist is old enough to remember the war, exile, and poverty, but also young enough to get information about socialism from others while enjoying her sophisticated gadgets and fusion food. She is part of a generation that is trying to make a life for themselves somewhere in between, at a mystic crossing where the roasted piglet and iPhone meet. The unlucky ones who cannot do that are trying to find an answer to the old question should I stay or should I go." -Leda Sutlović Ajla Terzić's novel critically acclaimed novel, first published in Bosnian in 2011 as Mogla je biti prosta priča, appears in a translation by John K. Cox, Professor of History at North Dakota State University.

Genres: LGBT, Romance

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Dora Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Osnovni podaci:
Broj stranica: 207
Žanr: Društveni, ljubavni roman
Bosanskohercegovačka književnost

*O čemu se zapravo radi u ovom romanu?
1. Površno – ljubavna priča između dvije žene
2. Pozadinska priča – pejzaž Sarajeva i Austrije.
Autorica vješto isprepleće opise pejzaža, humor, pitanje egizstencije i ljubav.
Radnja se odvija oko dvije žene (Esma i Roza) koje su, naravno, karakterno potpuno drugačije. Nakon njihovog upoznavanja, sve se mijenja. Svaka na svoj način preispituje situaciju u kojoj su se našle.

*Osobni osvrt:
Sve, samo ne prosta ljubavna priča.
Roman je izrazito čitljiv i intrigirajuć. Svrstan je pod ljubavni i društveni roman, iako bih ja nadodala da sadrži elemente psihološkog romana. Stil pisanja obiluje britkim humorom. Rečenice su na prvi pogled jednostavne, ali zapravo su sve samo ne jednostavne. U tom je ljepota. Pisan je u trećem licu, što je za mene bio još jedan +.
Inače, obožavam čitati psihološke romane, a ljubići me izrazito odbijaju, ali ovaj roman je ostavio snažan utjecaj na mene.
Prekidala sam čitanje nekoliko puta i to iz razloga da prepišem pojedine rečenice. Samo da im se mogu diviti. Kao što sam naslov knjige i ove preporuke kaže, mogla je ovo biti jednostavna priča, ali nije. Tako i rečenice na prvi pogled izgledaju jednostavno, ali nisu. Isto vrijedi i završetak koji je nekim dijelom neočekivan i mene osobno je ostavio pomalo zamišljenom.

* Ulomak za kraj
„I nekad bi u tom entuzijazmu zastala, zagledala se, ali stvarno zagledala u vlastiti odraz i odjednom sama sebi postala smiješna. I tada je najgore.
I čitava se ta konstrukcija od stakla rasprsne u sekundi.
Tada njen silni entuzijazam za život ustupa mjesto malodušnosti i kao da je kroz nju prošlo topovsko đule i ta rupa sad zjapi i kroz nju puše i tramontana i košava. I tada proklinje i samu sebe i Rozu i vozove koji ne kasne.“

[Vivone Os · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bookopoly 2021. – Book Club Pick
Book Club Osijek 2021. – 5 – Projekt Bezimeni - pročitaj knjigu s LGBTQ tematilom i likovima (Stana)

Glavna junakinja ovog romana je Esma, koja zbog posla odlazi na seminar u Graz. Na putu u vlaku upoznaje Rozu i njih dvije se zaljubljuju jedna u drugu. Pratimo njihovu priču, njihov odnos, Esmina razmišljanja, dvojbe, zbunjenost. Kroz njihov odnos knjiga piše o problemima s kojima se gay populacija susreće u Bosni.
Ne mogu reći da sam baš oduševljena knjigom. Oko pedesete strane mi je došlo da odustanem i da nije bila za Book Club, vjerojatno i bih. Najviše me je živcirala sama glavna junakinja. Možda zato što i samu sebe pomalo vidim u njoj u ovom trenutku mog života hahaha. Previše komplicira, sve vidi crno, uvijek zamišlja sve najgore... To umara. Pitam se onda kako mene drugi ljudi doživljavaju. Srećom pa me oni najbliži moraju trpjeti takvu kakva jesam. :D
Što se tiče Esminog i Rozinog odnosa i veze, od srca sam navijala za njih, iako su se naravno stalno pojavljivale neke prepreke. Stekla sam dojam da je to zato što nisu dovoljno razjasnile neke stvari, nisu dovoljno pričale. Esma je stalno analizirala i sebe i vezu, što je ok, ali nije imala s kim popričati o tome, jer je u okruženju u kojem se nalazila (Balkan, Bosna u kojoj ljudi još uvijek imaju traume od rata) veza dvije žene nešto nenormalno. Roza joj tu nije bila od pomoći, imala sam dojam da joj ni ne želi pomoći. Čekala je da se Esma sama odluči.
Neki dijelovi priče su mi pomalo površni, kao Esmin odnos s Izijem. Mislim da je on zaslužio da ga se spomene više puta tijekom knjige.
Kraj je otvorenog tipa, što mi se sviđa. Čitatelj može sam odlučiti kako želi da se priča završi.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

dårlig oversatt :/

[Anastasiaadamov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book club pick.
I could not get past the language it was written in. There were some really good parts and I liked the author's writing style in general. I appreciated the Balkan cultural references as well. The folk songs references were the best!

[Vishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved John Cox's translation of Biljana Jovanović's book, especially his introductory essay on Yugoslavian / Serbian literature and on Jovanović's work. So I did some research on which other books he has translated and that is how I discovered Ajla Terzić's 'This Could Have Been a Simple Story'. Ajla Terzić is a Bosnian writer and this book was originally published in Bosnian.

Esma works in an organization which helps people. She is single. She doesn't have any near family – her dad moved away when she was young, and her mom has passed. She has an aunt and uncle and cousins and they invite her home during festival times. Once her office sends her to Vienna for a seminar. She meets a woman in the train compartment and sparks fly. But later the woman disappears. After a couple of days, this woman, called Roza, calls up Esma and they meet again. The sparks become a fire. And that is the end of life, as Esma knows it. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

'This Could Have Been a Simple Story' is a beautiful lesbian love story. The first meeting, the attraction, the love, and the relationship between Esma and Roza is beautifully depicted. The kind of resistance that these two have to put up, and the battles they have to fight, especially when facing opposition from their friends, family members and loved ones, has been portrayed in the story in a nuanced way. In the last chapter of the book, Esma is at the edge of the precipice (a metaphorical precipice, of course), and we can feel the author Ajla Terzić literally pause her pen over paper, and contemplate on what to do next, and we readers realize that the fate of our heroine Esma, and our own happiness lies in the author's hands, and we wait with bated breath to find out what happens next. Does Esma take the risk and jump off the precipice and take the plunge? Or does she step back to the safety of her previous life before all this happened? You have to read the story to find out.

It was nice to discover a new Bosnian author in Ajla Terzić. There is a beautiful introduction at the beginning of the story, in which the translator John Cox introduces us to Bosnian literature and Ajla Terzić's work. It is vintage John Cox. John Cox is odd among translators, because he is a Balkan historian. So his knowledge of Balkan and Bosnian history, culture, literature and language is deep and that is clearly visible in the introductory essay and in the footnotes throughout the book.

John Cox says this in his introduction – "She (Ajla Terzić) herself sees no need to stress this, but you are about to read the first novel by a Bosnian woman that has appeared in English translation." If this is true, then this book breaks new ground and this translation is pioneering. And the fact that the first book by a Bosnian woman to be translated into English is a lesbian love story – that makes it even better.

One of the central things in the book is the way music is embedded throughout the story. This would be easily perceptible to a Bosnian reader, but to an outsider like myself, it would be impossible to see. For this reason, the introduction is invaluable. The main character Esma's name, and the titles of all the chapters are taken from the songs of the famous Yugoslav band Bijelo Dugme, and John Cox explains the connection between the band and the author and the book. One of my favourite musical discoveries from the book was a Bosnian music form called Sevdalinka, which expresses unrequited longing through music. I went and listened to a recording of it. It was beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking. (Do search for 'U Stambolu na Bosforu' by Daphne Kritharas, in YouTube, if you'd like to listen.)

I enjoyed reading 'This Could Have Been a Simple Story'. I can't wait to read more books by Ajla Terzić.

Have you read 'This Could Have Been a Simple Story'? What do you think about it?

[Dunja Spasic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Govno od knjige


(Ko je Iki i što ga je ubacila u poslednjih 20 strana??? Mislim da niko nije editovao ovu knjigu)

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izuzetno važan roman za naše podneblje.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

🤔 I'm puzzled

[Adela R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posebna prica o temi o kojoj se ne prica na Balkanu. Lagana za citati a Ajla nas vodi kroz detalje Elminog svijeta, pa se nekada cini da smo Elma I ja jedna osoba.

[Nani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Toliko sam se nadala da ćeš biti fenomenalna. Na kraju si ispala meh, ok. A baš sam očekivala puno, knjigo jedna.