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Američki fikcionar
Knjiga eseja, prvobitno pisanih za nizozemsku publiku, u kojoj su san o obećanoj zemlji i lucidna kritička slika samozadovoljne američke popularne kulture suprotstavljeni stvarnom užasu rata na Balkanu.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Dubravka Ugrešić
53 books646 followersDubravka Ugrešić was a Yugoslav, Croatian and Dutch writer. She left Croatia in 1993 and was based in Amsterdam since 1996. She described herself as "post-Yugoslav, transnational, or, even more precisely, postnational writer".
Dubravka Ugrešić earned her degrees in Comparative Literature, Russian Language and Literature at the University of Zagreb, and worked for twenty years at the Institute for Theory of Literature at Zagreb University, successfully pursuing parallel careers as a writer and a literary scholar.
She started writing professionally with screenplays for children’s television programs, as an undergraduate. In 1971 she published her first book for children Mali plamen, which was awarded a prestigious Croatian literary prize for children’s literature. Ugresic published two more books (Filip i Srecica, 1976; Kucni duhovi, 1988), and then gave up writing for children.
As a literary scholar Dubravka Ugrešić was particularly interested in Russian avant-garde culture. She was a co-editor of the international scholarly project Pojmovnik ruske avangarde, (A Glossary of the Russian Avangarde) for many years. She rediscovered forgotten Russian writers such as Konstantin Vaginov and Leonid Dobychin, and published a book on Russian contemporary fiction (Nova ruska proza, 1980). She translated fiction into Croatian from Russian (Boris Pilnyak, Gola godina; Daniil Kharms, Nule i nistice), and edited anthologies of both Russian contemporary and avant-garde writing (Pljuska u ruci, 1989).
Dubravka Ugrešić was best known in the former Yugoslavia for her fiction, novels and short stories: Poza za prozu, 1978; Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota, 1981; Zivot je bajka, 1983; Forsiranje romana reke, 1988.
Her novel Forsiranje romana reke was given the coveted NIN-award for the best novel of the year: Ugrešić was the first woman to receive this honor.
Croatian film director Rajko Grlic made a film U raljama zivota (1984) based on Ugrešić’s short novel Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota. Ugrešić co-authored the screenplay, as she did with screenplays for two other movies and a TV drama.
In 1991, when the war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, Ugrešić took a firm anti-nationalistic stand and consequently an anti-war stand. She started to write critically about nationalism (both Croatian and Serbian), the stupidity and criminality of war, and soon became a target of the nationalistically charged media, officials, politicians, fellow writers and anonymous citizens. She was proclaimed a “traitor”, a “public enemy” and a “witch” in Croatia, ostracized and exposed to harsh and persistent media harassment. She left her country of origin in 1993.
Dubravka Ugrešić continued writing since she began living abroad. She published novels (Muzej bezuvjetne predaje, Ministarstvo boli) and books of essays (Americki fikcionar, Kultura lazi, Zabranjeno citanje, Nikog nema doma).
Her books have been translated into more then twenty languages. Dubravka Ugrešić has received several major European literary awards. In 2016, Ugrešić won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
On March 17th of 2023, one of Europe's most distinctive essayists, Dubravka Ugrešić, died in Amsterdam at the age of 73.
Dubravka Ugrešić earned her degrees in Comparative Literature, Russian Language and Literature at the University of Zagreb, and worked for twenty years at the Institute for Theory of Literature at Zagreb University, successfully pursuing parallel careers as a writer and a literary scholar.
She started writing professionally with screenplays for children’s television programs, as an undergraduate. In 1971 she published her first book for children Mali plamen, which was awarded a prestigious Croatian literary prize for children’s literature. Ugresic published two more books (Filip i Srecica, 1976; Kucni duhovi, 1988), and then gave up writing for children.
As a literary scholar Dubravka Ugrešić was particularly interested in Russian avant-garde culture. She was a co-editor of the international scholarly project Pojmovnik ruske avangarde, (A Glossary of the Russian Avangarde) for many years. She rediscovered forgotten Russian writers such as Konstantin Vaginov and Leonid Dobychin, and published a book on Russian contemporary fiction (Nova ruska proza, 1980). She translated fiction into Croatian from Russian (Boris Pilnyak, Gola godina; Daniil Kharms, Nule i nistice), and edited anthologies of both Russian contemporary and avant-garde writing (Pljuska u ruci, 1989).
Dubravka Ugrešić was best known in the former Yugoslavia for her fiction, novels and short stories: Poza za prozu, 1978; Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota, 1981; Zivot je bajka, 1983; Forsiranje romana reke, 1988.
Her novel Forsiranje romana reke was given the coveted NIN-award for the best novel of the year: Ugrešić was the first woman to receive this honor.
Croatian film director Rajko Grlic made a film U raljama zivota (1984) based on Ugrešić’s short novel Stefica Cvek u raljama zivota. Ugrešić co-authored the screenplay, as she did with screenplays for two other movies and a TV drama.
In 1991, when the war broke out in the former Yugoslavia, Ugrešić took a firm anti-nationalistic stand and consequently an anti-war stand. She started to write critically about nationalism (both Croatian and Serbian), the stupidity and criminality of war, and soon became a target of the nationalistically charged media, officials, politicians, fellow writers and anonymous citizens. She was proclaimed a “traitor”, a “public enemy” and a “witch” in Croatia, ostracized and exposed to harsh and persistent media harassment. She left her country of origin in 1993.
Dubravka Ugrešić continued writing since she began living abroad. She published novels (Muzej bezuvjetne predaje, Ministarstvo boli) and books of essays (Americki fikcionar, Kultura lazi, Zabranjeno citanje, Nikog nema doma).
Her books have been translated into more then twenty languages. Dubravka Ugrešić has received several major European literary awards. In 2016, Ugrešić won the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
On March 17th of 2023, one of Europe's most distinctive essayists, Dubravka Ugrešić, died in Amsterdam at the age of 73.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 21, 2020
Дубравка Угрешич пише този "речник" в САЩ, докато в родната й Югославия се води война. Описвайки новия си временен дом, тя се опитва да приеме разпадането на познатия си свят, ужаса на войната и загубата на родината си. В новото издание е добавена още една глава, писана "четвърт столетие" след първото издание (от 1993 г.), в която Угрешич се връща с носталгия към американските си дни.
May 1, 2020
The America that Croatian writer Dubravka Ugrešić writes about in the collection of essays entitled "American Fictionary" is New York. There's not a word about the West Coast, the Mountain West, the Midwest, the Southwest, the South, or even upstate New York, it's all about the City.
Ask a New Yorker (that is, a resident of the City) or a non-New Yorker (a resident of anywhere else) whether New York City is representative of America and you'll receive in return slight hesitation followed inevitably by the word, "No."
I say this only to point out that Ugrešić's "America" is a myth, or at least, greatly outdated. New York City is a country unto itself, it's the epitome of the western city — some version of which can be found elsewhere both in North America as well as outside of it.
For my part, I have never understood the foreign obsession with the City. The only people who love New York as much as foreigners, it seems, are New Yorkers themselves. In a country riven with tribal lines, New York is a tribe all its own. I've known enough New Yorkers to know that in their minds the world consists of "The City" and "Outside."
I've lived in a variety of different countries, but I visited the City for the first time last November. I already knew New York because I've watched TV before, a vast majority of which takes place in the City.
Unlike Paris, which famously has a syndrome named after it for people disappointed that The City of Lights fails to live up to the expectations built up over a lifetime of watching romantic French films, or whatever they've been watching, New York is exactly what the movies depict, which is to say, a big city.
If you're a city mouse, one who goes slack-jawed at the sight of skyscrapers, it's safe to presume that you're going to love the City. With New York, you know exactly what you're getting. Unlike Paris, there are no expectations of fairy tale magic, no certainty of instantaneous love and romance. There are skyscrapers and street peddlers, the hustle and bustle of pedestrians and the eternal cacophony of traffic.
Which is why I thought New York was just fine. Nothing great, but nothing unexpected either.
And yet there are people who absolutely love New York, who go weak at the knees at the mere mention of it. Ugrešić is one of these people, my wife happens to be another. Since she is sitting nearby, I turn to her in an attempt to better understand this mysterious passion.
"What is it you like so much about New York?"
She looks up from the screen of her laptop.
"It's my love."
I try to keep from rolling my eyes.
"OK, but why?"
"You're just born with that love for it," she says. "You can't explain it."
She goes quiet for a few seconds before continuing.
"It has everything, everything you could ever want."
"What if I want tranquility? Peace and quiet?"
"No," she says. "New York is dynamic."
OK, yes, the City has "everything" in the sense of man-made entertainments. We're both culture vultures, and during our 10-day trip there, we went maybe one or two days without stepping foot inside a museum. We made up for never having seen a Broadway play by catching four.
And yes, it is "dynamic," or, as I'd call it, stressful. Everywhere you turn, it seems you're in a crowd of highly anxious people, eager to get somewhere. People pushing past you, tense faces barking out monosyllabic replies to any question, because who's got the time?
I understand that appeal of living in a big city. When we lived in Rome we often spent the weekend touring one of the city's fantastic museums or historical sites, there certainly were enough of them. So it was that we saw cultural sites "obscure" enough that they almost never made it onto the list of tourists passing through.
Living in New York would be the same, I am sure. You live there, you visit places that would never fit on a tourist's itinerary.
But given the choice between living in Rome again or living in New York (leaving aside the latter's far higher price tag) I would choose Rome every time.
"That's ok," a New Yorker replied when I told them that I wouldn't want to live there. "The City's not for everyone."
I understand this too. If I were a New Yorker the last thing I'd want is another person coming in and driving up the price of rent even higher.
America, for me, has always been about the landscapes. No country in the world, to my mind, has the diversity of scenery that the U.S. offers. From the Grand Canyon in the Southwest, to the ancient rainforests of the Northwest. From the golden sand beaches of Hawaii to the rocky headlands of Maine. With all that natural beauty, why choose to live in the City?
And yet tote bags and t-shirts, baseball caps and keychains with those three little trademarked words (or actually, one word that consists of a single letter, plus a symbol, and two more letters) are ubiquitous across the transit stations of the world.
I (heart) NY.
Love? The meaning of both the word and the symbol have been abused enough, and are all but stripped entirely of their dignity.
Love NY? I like it just fine, much like this collection. It has its high points (Ugrešić's takedown of the muffin is particularly memorable) and its low points (all the references to the then war in the Balkans — and there are many — blend together, and the near-constant praise of New York — particularly Manhattan — are uninspired and makes one feel like Ugrešić is getting a commission from the NYC tourism board).
Maybe that is the point of the title. Ugrešić's "America" is a fiction, it's not even America. A far better title would have been "I (heart) NY. And couldn't wait to get out of Yugoslavia."
I certainly can't blame her for the latter.
Ask a New Yorker (that is, a resident of the City) or a non-New Yorker (a resident of anywhere else) whether New York City is representative of America and you'll receive in return slight hesitation followed inevitably by the word, "No."
I say this only to point out that Ugrešić's "America" is a myth, or at least, greatly outdated. New York City is a country unto itself, it's the epitome of the western city — some version of which can be found elsewhere both in North America as well as outside of it.
For my part, I have never understood the foreign obsession with the City. The only people who love New York as much as foreigners, it seems, are New Yorkers themselves. In a country riven with tribal lines, New York is a tribe all its own. I've known enough New Yorkers to know that in their minds the world consists of "The City" and "Outside."
I've lived in a variety of different countries, but I visited the City for the first time last November. I already knew New York because I've watched TV before, a vast majority of which takes place in the City.
Unlike Paris, which famously has a syndrome named after it for people disappointed that The City of Lights fails to live up to the expectations built up over a lifetime of watching romantic French films, or whatever they've been watching, New York is exactly what the movies depict, which is to say, a big city.
If you're a city mouse, one who goes slack-jawed at the sight of skyscrapers, it's safe to presume that you're going to love the City. With New York, you know exactly what you're getting. Unlike Paris, there are no expectations of fairy tale magic, no certainty of instantaneous love and romance. There are skyscrapers and street peddlers, the hustle and bustle of pedestrians and the eternal cacophony of traffic.
Which is why I thought New York was just fine. Nothing great, but nothing unexpected either.
And yet there are people who absolutely love New York, who go weak at the knees at the mere mention of it. Ugrešić is one of these people, my wife happens to be another. Since she is sitting nearby, I turn to her in an attempt to better understand this mysterious passion.
"What is it you like so much about New York?"
She looks up from the screen of her laptop.
"It's my love."
I try to keep from rolling my eyes.
"OK, but why?"
"You're just born with that love for it," she says. "You can't explain it."
She goes quiet for a few seconds before continuing.
"It has everything, everything you could ever want."
"What if I want tranquility? Peace and quiet?"
"No," she says. "New York is dynamic."
OK, yes, the City has "everything" in the sense of man-made entertainments. We're both culture vultures, and during our 10-day trip there, we went maybe one or two days without stepping foot inside a museum. We made up for never having seen a Broadway play by catching four.
And yes, it is "dynamic," or, as I'd call it, stressful. Everywhere you turn, it seems you're in a crowd of highly anxious people, eager to get somewhere. People pushing past you, tense faces barking out monosyllabic replies to any question, because who's got the time?
I understand that appeal of living in a big city. When we lived in Rome we often spent the weekend touring one of the city's fantastic museums or historical sites, there certainly were enough of them. So it was that we saw cultural sites "obscure" enough that they almost never made it onto the list of tourists passing through.
Living in New York would be the same, I am sure. You live there, you visit places that would never fit on a tourist's itinerary.
But given the choice between living in Rome again or living in New York (leaving aside the latter's far higher price tag) I would choose Rome every time.
"That's ok," a New Yorker replied when I told them that I wouldn't want to live there. "The City's not for everyone."
I understand this too. If I were a New Yorker the last thing I'd want is another person coming in and driving up the price of rent even higher.
America, for me, has always been about the landscapes. No country in the world, to my mind, has the diversity of scenery that the U.S. offers. From the Grand Canyon in the Southwest, to the ancient rainforests of the Northwest. From the golden sand beaches of Hawaii to the rocky headlands of Maine. With all that natural beauty, why choose to live in the City?
And yet tote bags and t-shirts, baseball caps and keychains with those three little trademarked words (or actually, one word that consists of a single letter, plus a symbol, and two more letters) are ubiquitous across the transit stations of the world.
I (heart) NY.
Love? The meaning of both the word and the symbol have been abused enough, and are all but stripped entirely of their dignity.
Love NY? I like it just fine, much like this collection. It has its high points (Ugrešić's takedown of the muffin is particularly memorable) and its low points (all the references to the then war in the Balkans — and there are many — blend together, and the near-constant praise of New York — particularly Manhattan — are uninspired and makes one feel like Ugrešić is getting a commission from the NYC tourism board).
Maybe that is the point of the title. Ugrešić's "America" is a fiction, it's not even America. A far better title would have been "I (heart) NY. And couldn't wait to get out of Yugoslavia."
I certainly can't blame her for the latter.
June 22, 2024
imposible leer un libro de Dubravka Ugrešić y no lamentar haberlo acabado... llevo posponiendo terminármelo alrededor de un mes, y no me arrepiento de nada. me pasó algo similar cuando me leí "la edad de la piel", y es que da igual de lo que hable en sus libros, Ugrešić lo narra todo con una soltura que te hace pensar que toda la información y vivencias posibles del mundo habitan en su cabeza. no es presuntuosa ni académica pero tampoco pasea una falsa modestia. es el punto perfecto de entre la narrativa autobiográfica y la experiencia universal.
"ficcionario americano" habla de la experiencia del migrante, del choque cultural, de cómo nos ha maleado el turbocapitalismo, de la mistificación de lo europeo en el extranjero, de la guerra y la falta de patria. toda la lectura se ha sentido profética, en especial a la hora de hablar de las secuelas que deja un conflicto bélico en la identidad de uno propio y su comunidad, de la falta de interés de las esferas políticas por el bienestar de sus ciudadanos. y lo hace sin retorcerse en su vocabulario ni pasearte por sinuosos laberintos de anécdotas, sino simple y llanamente. "estos son mis pensamientos creados a partir de mis vivencias, ¿no es curioso?" parece decir con cada capítulo.
podría hablar millones de años sobre este libro sin cansarme, que suerte encontrar una lectura así de ligera y amable. no le falta realismo y no le falta humor. lo tiene todo.
"ficcionario americano" habla de la experiencia del migrante, del choque cultural, de cómo nos ha maleado el turbocapitalismo, de la mistificación de lo europeo en el extranjero, de la guerra y la falta de patria. toda la lectura se ha sentido profética, en especial a la hora de hablar de las secuelas que deja un conflicto bélico en la identidad de uno propio y su comunidad, de la falta de interés de las esferas políticas por el bienestar de sus ciudadanos. y lo hace sin retorcerse en su vocabulario ni pasearte por sinuosos laberintos de anécdotas, sino simple y llanamente. "estos son mis pensamientos creados a partir de mis vivencias, ¿no es curioso?" parece decir con cada capítulo.
podría hablar millones de años sobre este libro sin cansarme, que suerte encontrar una lectura así de ligera y amable. no le falta realismo y no le falta humor. lo tiene todo.
September 27, 2023
Cómo he disfrutado este libro. Me ha hecho sonreír, ponerme triste, tierna y alegre a partes iguales.
July 21, 2019
'America today is writing its collective autobiography. And when everyone writes, that ensures a deafness and lack of understanding...'
.
From AMERICAN FICTIONARY, by Dubravka Ugrešić, translated from the Croatian by Celia Hawkesworth and Ellen Elian-Bursać
Ugrešić accepts a guest lecturer position in New England as war divides her country. These incisive essays juxtapose the atrocities of war in her home (Zagreb, Croatia during the 1990s Yugoslav War) with the absurdities of American life.
In a society and culture where politeness is often valued over honesty, I really appreciated her caustic wit and biting satire. She writes about personality and "knowing yourself" (this Personality essay was my favorite of all), privacy, television and advertising, food, psychotherapy, and "networking". Written 25 years ago, and everything rings true all these years later.
Many of these essays were compiled in the 1995 book Have a Nice Day This reprinted edition came out in 2018 with a new title and an additional P.S. essay by the author.
.
From AMERICAN FICTIONARY, by Dubravka Ugrešić, translated from the Croatian by Celia Hawkesworth and Ellen Elian-Bursać
Ugrešić accepts a guest lecturer position in New England as war divides her country. These incisive essays juxtapose the atrocities of war in her home (Zagreb, Croatia during the 1990s Yugoslav War) with the absurdities of American life.
In a society and culture where politeness is often valued over honesty, I really appreciated her caustic wit and biting satire. She writes about personality and "knowing yourself" (this Personality essay was my favorite of all), privacy, television and advertising, food, psychotherapy, and "networking". Written 25 years ago, and everything rings true all these years later.
Many of these essays were compiled in the 1995 book Have a Nice Day This reprinted edition came out in 2018 with a new title and an additional P.S. essay by the author.
October 22, 2024
Interesante como es Ugresic pero fragmentario y de menos interés que El Museo de la Rendición Incondicional
Más info:
https://lahierbaroja.com/2024/10/22/f...
Más info:
https://lahierbaroja.com/2024/10/22/f...
December 11, 2024
Разсъжденията и описанията може да са добри и точни за американската действителност, и за това как я виждаме ние от Балканите, но книгата е, просто, един огромен yap ,,речник”. Общо взето, авторката се разточва излишно в описания и подробности, което прави книгата изключително скучна. Yap yap yap…
October 15, 2018
In the early 1990s why war(s) raged in the just emerged and then still emerging countries in former Yugoslavia (which is a very brief description of a way more complicated history), writer Dubravka Ugrešić first travelled to Amsterdam and then, not feeling like she could go back to Zagreb, directly to the US where she had an engagement as a guest lecturer planned for a bit later. During her stay in the US, she wrote a newspaper column. A collection of these columns was first published in 1993, and translated in several languages (the US book was called "Have a Nice Day: From the Balkan War to the American Dream"). Now, Open Letter Press published a newly revised edition with all changes made by Ugrešić herself and under its first title: American Fictionary. The book consists of the 1990s essays as well as a new text (aptly called "P.S.") reflecting on the earlier works.
In each column, Ugrešić takes up a word/ concept (from melancholy to bagel) and offers through little scenes and reflections insights into American life. She writes about the cult of the body, the idea of contacts and networking, and visiting a shrink, and capitalist consumerism. But she also tells the stories of her friends scattered throughout different places, the whisper network which passes on the news on who has died, and broader questions on what makes a place home. Writing from her specific position and at the specific point of time, she does not only look towards the US but also at what is happening at the Balkan. Through this kind of double mirror, both places become clearer and distorted at the same time. The writing is sharp and funny with an underlying pain which surfaces at times, and always engaging, sometimes you find yourself nodding along, sometimes you would love to start a lively discussion.
In each column, Ugrešić takes up a word/ concept (from melancholy to bagel) and offers through little scenes and reflections insights into American life. She writes about the cult of the body, the idea of contacts and networking, and visiting a shrink, and capitalist consumerism. But she also tells the stories of her friends scattered throughout different places, the whisper network which passes on the news on who has died, and broader questions on what makes a place home. Writing from her specific position and at the specific point of time, she does not only look towards the US but also at what is happening at the Balkan. Through this kind of double mirror, both places become clearer and distorted at the same time. The writing is sharp and funny with an underlying pain which surfaces at times, and always engaging, sometimes you find yourself nodding along, sometimes you would love to start a lively discussion.
October 24, 2023
Sometimes I feel like a foreigner. For as long as I can remember American culture has sort of disgusted me. I didn’t watch the movies that shape people’s visions of childhood, teenage-hood, or even adulthood. I know it sounds poser-y to say that I always relate more to foreign films. And I mean foreign, like they are foreign to me geographically but in my heart it always felt more like home. Less flash, less obsession with body, lust, status, accumulation, power, etc.. More soft-lighting, less make-up more simplicity, authenticity, true confidence, true suffering, true beauty.
It’s interesting to read a book by a person who has lost their homeland, like it doesn’t exist any more so she is a perpetual anthropologist. And yet, she details the same phenomena that I have always felt disgusted by and intrigued by in my own culture. It felt vindicating and refreshing, and tragically hopeful to know there are other foreigners out there, too.
It’s interesting to read a book by a person who has lost their homeland, like it doesn’t exist any more so she is a perpetual anthropologist. And yet, she details the same phenomena that I have always felt disgusted by and intrigued by in my own culture. It felt vindicating and refreshing, and tragically hopeful to know there are other foreigners out there, too.
March 13, 2024
A medio camino entre el diario, el diccionario y el ensayo, juega con tus sentimientos, tan pronto es una crítica hacia la invisibilidad de la guerra de los Balcanes (fuera de ellos), como a la diferencia entre un doughnut, un muffin o un bagel y claro...Todo ello regado con una escritura muy ágil, personal y crítica y una prosa que en ocasiones es hasta poética.
January 24, 2019
3.5 - a little hit or miss for many of these essays, but definitely still relevant. And the PS essay written in 2017 for this edition is phenomenal.
June 4, 2023
Може би най-доброто описание на американската “реалност” и “система”, което някога съм чела.
September 20, 2024
los americanos siendo espantosos como siempre y ugreišić siendo mi ídolo como siempre.
July 10, 2019
It is startling to read something so strongly reminiscent of the kind of writing produced by emigrés from Communist countries in the 60s and 70s. Ugrešić is writing in the 90s, watching the dissolution of Yugoslavia from the shores of the US, and juggling the horrific chaos erupting in her home and the confusing tumult of American life. But so much of the style reminds one of the great essayists of Cold War exile. America has of course changed since then, and yet, in some ways, it has not, and I found myself delighted by that constancy (oh, New York!). The themes of memory, nostalgia, dislocation, and identity, are not new, and their treatment here is not particularly original, but it is no less moving for all that. The language used to describe minorities occasionally clangs a harsh note ("taciturn Chinese"), which would probably bother me more if it weren't balanced by the emphatic expressions of solidarity and fellow-feeling. What is most familiar to me about it is the blend of humor, anguish, and curiosity -- it's a particular kind of mood, and Ugrešić does it very well.
Overall, a wonderful collection; an important reminder of the atrocities of that war (which was not so long ago!), and a funny, acerbic take on American life.
Overall, a wonderful collection; an important reminder of the atrocities of that war (which was not so long ago!), and a funny, acerbic take on American life.
August 12, 2018
As always, when I'm reading something by Dubravka Ugresic, I am challenged emotionally and intellectually. One thing I love about Ugresic is that she holds no punches, expresses complicated thoughts with deceptive simplicity, and expects nothing, forcing her readers to come to their own conclusions. This re-publication of essays 25 years later is brilliant. The themes here are timeless, and once again I find myself looking at my own behavior through another's eyes. Sometimes this leads to feelings of shame, but mostly detached curiosity. Two essays out of this collection touched me the most - "Harassment" and "Refugee". Both could have been written recently, but putting them in the specific historical context and drawing out layers of meaning is especially gratifying. Brilliant as always. I love Ugresic's writing, and am so thankful to Chad at Open Letter for the ARC. Watch for this on your bookshelves in Sept. 2018!
November 16, 2023
«Porque yo no voy a la peluquería para que me guste, sino para salir disgustada»
«No conozco a nadie. Me siento segura y tranquila. Todo es como debe ser. Soy extranjera, ellos están en su terreno»
«No conozco a nadie. Me siento segura y tranquila. Todo es como debe ser. Soy extranjera, ellos están en su terreno»
April 14, 2024
Uno de los lugares comunes en los recursos narrativos en la ciencia ficción es el del profano que descubre un nuevo mundo y hace al lector partícipe de las revelaciones que afectan al personaje principal de la historia. Los ejemplos son numerosos. En el clásico Los viajes de Gulliver de Jonathan Swift, el propio Gulliver descubre entre otros, el mundo reducido en el que viven los habitantes de Lilliput. Este hecho es del todo circunstancial. A través de los ojos del propio Gulliver el lector adquiere la capacidad de profundizar en un mundo diferente.
Antes de producirse el descubrimiento es necesaria la existencia de un viaje. En Dune, la extraordinaria novela de Frank Herbert que desemboca en la saga homónima, la llegada de la familia Atreides al exótico y desconocido planeta Arrakis, supondrá el hecho decisivo para el enfrentamiento de Paul Atreides con la civilización Fremen. De una manera coral, el proceso se repite en El Señor de los Anillos de J.R.R. Tolkien. Tiene lugar el viaje. Un grupo de hobbits debe abandonar el espacio de seguridad que representa La Comarca. Cada personaje por su cuenta: Frodo Bolson, Sam Sagaz, Merry y Pippin descubren el universo que se expande en La Tierra Media más allá de su lugar de vida: magos, humanos, orcos, ents o trolls y un sinfín de peligros y aventuras.
El viaje ha de contener estos elementos o no será.
Quizá el paralelismo más rotundo de Ficcionario americano de Dubravka Ugresic, con los rincones de la ciencia ficción, se produzca con la extraordinaria obra de Ursula K. Le Guin, Los Desposeídos. El lector descubre un nuevo mundo a través de la mirada de Shevek, un científico originario de Anarres, planeta en el que rige un sistema anarquista, y su viaje y enfrentamiento a Urras, planeta en el que se ha establecido un orden político liberal.
Los ojos con los que Ugresic contempla los Estados Unidos, concretamente la Nueva York de los años 90, no difieren en exceso de los del personaje de Le Guin. El shock, la ruptura de lo considerado hasta el momento como normal, la extrema soledad de Shevek en la ficción literaria es gemelar a la de la autora que escapa del conflicto bélico que se desembocó en los 90 en Yugoslavia, propiciando la generación de Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croacia, Eslovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro y Serbia.
A diferencia de lo que tiene lugar de forma habitual en la ciencia ficción, el regreso de Dubravka Ugresic a su lugar de origen no llega a producirse. La guerra estalla en Yugoslavia, desembocando en la creación de otros países de los que la autora ya no formará parte.
Este proceso de adaptación de los ojos de Ugresic de un mundo socialista del que escapa, a la Norteamérica que la acoge, produce una serie de importantes reflexiones, de pasajes bañados con una luz única. Baste mencionar el canto que, al más puro estilo Pablo Neruda con las patatas fritas, Ugresic transmite las sensaciones que se apoderan de ella ante el Doughnut, el Muffin o el Bagel. Su visita al museo de la Coca-Cola. O su compromiso fiel a la escritura por encima de cualquier derivación política.
A pesar de su manifiesta sencillez, Ficcionario americano puede convertirse en un libro incómodo de leer. La escritura de Ugresic carece de pasión, de amor; ni por el lugar de acogida, ni por el de destino. Se produce una excesiva distancia entre la autora y el objeto de su escritura.
Por último, cabe mencionar la inclusión, en la edición de Impedimenta que he tenido entre manos, de un Post scriptum. Un texto firmado por la propia autora y fechado 30 años después de los hechos vividos por Ugresic en el impacto con la Norteamérica liberal. A diferencia de la distancia habitual del texto original, se muestra una autora capaz de aproximarse a su propia experiencia y salpimentar al lector con su fina inteligencia e ironía y volver a maldecir el muffin.
Antes de producirse el descubrimiento es necesaria la existencia de un viaje. En Dune, la extraordinaria novela de Frank Herbert que desemboca en la saga homónima, la llegada de la familia Atreides al exótico y desconocido planeta Arrakis, supondrá el hecho decisivo para el enfrentamiento de Paul Atreides con la civilización Fremen. De una manera coral, el proceso se repite en El Señor de los Anillos de J.R.R. Tolkien. Tiene lugar el viaje. Un grupo de hobbits debe abandonar el espacio de seguridad que representa La Comarca. Cada personaje por su cuenta: Frodo Bolson, Sam Sagaz, Merry y Pippin descubren el universo que se expande en La Tierra Media más allá de su lugar de vida: magos, humanos, orcos, ents o trolls y un sinfín de peligros y aventuras.
El viaje ha de contener estos elementos o no será.
Quizá el paralelismo más rotundo de Ficcionario americano de Dubravka Ugresic, con los rincones de la ciencia ficción, se produzca con la extraordinaria obra de Ursula K. Le Guin, Los Desposeídos. El lector descubre un nuevo mundo a través de la mirada de Shevek, un científico originario de Anarres, planeta en el que rige un sistema anarquista, y su viaje y enfrentamiento a Urras, planeta en el que se ha establecido un orden político liberal.
Los ojos con los que Ugresic contempla los Estados Unidos, concretamente la Nueva York de los años 90, no difieren en exceso de los del personaje de Le Guin. El shock, la ruptura de lo considerado hasta el momento como normal, la extrema soledad de Shevek en la ficción literaria es gemelar a la de la autora que escapa del conflicto bélico que se desembocó en los 90 en Yugoslavia, propiciando la generación de Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croacia, Eslovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro y Serbia.
A diferencia de lo que tiene lugar de forma habitual en la ciencia ficción, el regreso de Dubravka Ugresic a su lugar de origen no llega a producirse. La guerra estalla en Yugoslavia, desembocando en la creación de otros países de los que la autora ya no formará parte.
Este proceso de adaptación de los ojos de Ugresic de un mundo socialista del que escapa, a la Norteamérica que la acoge, produce una serie de importantes reflexiones, de pasajes bañados con una luz única. Baste mencionar el canto que, al más puro estilo Pablo Neruda con las patatas fritas, Ugresic transmite las sensaciones que se apoderan de ella ante el Doughnut, el Muffin o el Bagel. Su visita al museo de la Coca-Cola. O su compromiso fiel a la escritura por encima de cualquier derivación política.
A pesar de su manifiesta sencillez, Ficcionario americano puede convertirse en un libro incómodo de leer. La escritura de Ugresic carece de pasión, de amor; ni por el lugar de acogida, ni por el de destino. Se produce una excesiva distancia entre la autora y el objeto de su escritura.
Por último, cabe mencionar la inclusión, en la edición de Impedimenta que he tenido entre manos, de un Post scriptum. Un texto firmado por la propia autora y fechado 30 años después de los hechos vividos por Ugresic en el impacto con la Norteamérica liberal. A diferencia de la distancia habitual del texto original, se muestra una autora capaz de aproximarse a su propia experiencia y salpimentar al lector con su fina inteligencia e ironía y volver a maldecir el muffin.
November 15, 2019
very good critique of the lack of closeness and sincerity in american social behavior, and of course the self-absorbed and individualistic thought, which Ugresic admits also runs through the diary/autobiography genre in general. the brevity of each "fictionary" entry creates a short-attention-spanned world of chaos, sometimes an actually false world to hyper-exaggerate American restaurants or therapy sessions. the biggest thread in this book is the feeling of being an outsider, while Ugresic's homeland Yugoslavia is in war and bloodshed in the early 1990s. how can americans care about sitting and talking about their personal lives, while whole countries are burning up? a question that may always be relevant. in fragments of memories, and memories that are fading, like all favorite books or acts of pleasure leave our brains as soon as we're done experiencing it, and that's why we keep reading books - to keep experiencing it, over and over again. i'm here for the swift pace, essays like containers. one moment Ugresic is bonding with fellow Balkan war transplants, the next she is having fantasies on jogging culture, the next she is dissing muffins. and i agree - there is nothing better than a bagel with florets of lox while reading on a Sunday. this newer edition includes a "P.S." essay in the back. often when reading bits of work like this, which is as old as i am, i wonder how the author feels about it now. at the end, we are confronted with roosevelt island, and it's fresh in my mind: that New York history of lost, lonely, outcasts, who are not so lonely after all.
May 2, 2025
Llegit pel Club de Lectura "Entre dones" de Sant Quirze del Vallès, a càrrec de Laura Patricio @laura.to.the.lighthouse
Recull d'articles que escriu l'autora iugoslava durant la seva estada als EUA a començament dels anys 90, mentre tenia lloc el conflicte als Balcans.
En aquest recull d'articles, amb una estructura similar a un diccionari, l'autora analitza diferents paraules, que desenvolupa fent una reflexió de molts dels aspectes consumistes de la societat americana, com el culte al cos, l'estat de felicitat obligatòria, el footing compulsiu... tot un recull de contradiccions i extravagàncies de la societat que posa de manifest, sense fer una crítica directa. Curiós que alguns d'aquests excessos americans dels 90, els trobem i són plenament vigents a la societat catalana d'avui dia.
La visió que fa és en to d'humor irònic. Un humor negre i fred que correspon al caràcter de les persones que provenen dels antics règims socialistes. També deixa molt palès la seva pròpia situació i, encara que no deixa entreveure gairebé gens els seus sentiments, tota la narració reflecteix la seva preocupació pel conflicte que vivia el seu país, del que ella ha pogut sortir momentàniament, però on ha deixat familiars i amics que s'enfronten diàriament a bombardejos i mort.
He definit a l'autora com a iugoslava expressament, donat que ella va ser contrària al desmantellament d'aquest país i l'aparició dels nacionalismes que van suposar la Guerra dels Balcans. Això li va suposar un gran rebuig posterior a la seva pàtria.
Molt interessant el postfaci final, que va escriure molts anys després del text original, on es mostra una evolució de la visió de l'autora.
El problema que jo he tingut amb el llibre és que no es tracta d'una novel·la. Jo l'he llegit tota seguida i m'ha cansat una mica. És un llibre que s'ha de llegir a poc a poc. Llegir un article de tant en tant, per valorar tot el missatge que vol transmetre.
Recomanable. Per sort, l'autora no critica els excessos que fem en la compra de llibres... Aquest tema millor no tocar-lo.
Recull d'articles que escriu l'autora iugoslava durant la seva estada als EUA a començament dels anys 90, mentre tenia lloc el conflicte als Balcans.
En aquest recull d'articles, amb una estructura similar a un diccionari, l'autora analitza diferents paraules, que desenvolupa fent una reflexió de molts dels aspectes consumistes de la societat americana, com el culte al cos, l'estat de felicitat obligatòria, el footing compulsiu... tot un recull de contradiccions i extravagàncies de la societat que posa de manifest, sense fer una crítica directa. Curiós que alguns d'aquests excessos americans dels 90, els trobem i són plenament vigents a la societat catalana d'avui dia.
La visió que fa és en to d'humor irònic. Un humor negre i fred que correspon al caràcter de les persones que provenen dels antics règims socialistes. També deixa molt palès la seva pròpia situació i, encara que no deixa entreveure gairebé gens els seus sentiments, tota la narració reflecteix la seva preocupació pel conflicte que vivia el seu país, del que ella ha pogut sortir momentàniament, però on ha deixat familiars i amics que s'enfronten diàriament a bombardejos i mort.
He definit a l'autora com a iugoslava expressament, donat que ella va ser contrària al desmantellament d'aquest país i l'aparició dels nacionalismes que van suposar la Guerra dels Balcans. Això li va suposar un gran rebuig posterior a la seva pàtria.
Molt interessant el postfaci final, que va escriure molts anys després del text original, on es mostra una evolució de la visió de l'autora.
El problema que jo he tingut amb el llibre és que no es tracta d'una novel·la. Jo l'he llegit tota seguida i m'ha cansat una mica. És un llibre que s'ha de llegir a poc a poc. Llegir un article de tant en tant, per valorar tot el missatge que vol transmetre.
Recomanable. Per sort, l'autora no critica els excessos que fem en la compra de llibres... Aquest tema millor no tocar-lo.
April 5, 2021
This is the first of Ms Ugresic's books which I've read, and it has been bedtime reading over too long a time.
I have to say that the "P.S." section (pp [183]-209), written about twenty years after the essays that make up the body of the text was the most engaging. I did enjoy her treatment of "American" oddities like reliance on manuals, jogging, markets, bagels, etc. Being a despiser of "Dunkin'" in all of its manifestations, I especially relished her demolishing of "donuts" and muffins for the crusty, crunchy bagel.
I also kept thinking of the novels of Alexandr Hemon, another refugee of the collapse of Yugoslavia, and his reaction to be trapped in Chicago. Ms Ugresik finds herself homeless in NYC on her way to Connecticut College (New London) for a teaching gig. Once she gets her feet on the ground and has developed a circle of friends, some also emigres, the pain of distance and the lack of awareness in the US sustain her disorientation and her amazement at the overabundance of material life.
Reading this account is a means of keeping one's sense of direction and a consciousness of distance from the complexity of existence of so many people less fortunate than we . . . or so it seems.
I have to say that the "P.S." section (pp [183]-209), written about twenty years after the essays that make up the body of the text was the most engaging. I did enjoy her treatment of "American" oddities like reliance on manuals, jogging, markets, bagels, etc. Being a despiser of "Dunkin'" in all of its manifestations, I especially relished her demolishing of "donuts" and muffins for the crusty, crunchy bagel.
I also kept thinking of the novels of Alexandr Hemon, another refugee of the collapse of Yugoslavia, and his reaction to be trapped in Chicago. Ms Ugresik finds herself homeless in NYC on her way to Connecticut College (New London) for a teaching gig. Once she gets her feet on the ground and has developed a circle of friends, some also emigres, the pain of distance and the lack of awareness in the US sustain her disorientation and her amazement at the overabundance of material life.
Reading this account is a means of keeping one's sense of direction and a consciousness of distance from the complexity of existence of so many people less fortunate than we . . . or so it seems.
April 24, 2023
Всички книги на този свят, дори онези, които говорят за бъдещето, достигат до нас от миналото – било то от близкото, отдалеченото или съвсем далечното минало. 30 и кусур години след написването на „Американски речник”, есеистичният сборник на Дубравка Угрешич звучи все така актуално, тъжно и правдиво, защото вплетените носталгия и тъга в разказите са непреходни и остават загнездени в човека до гроб.
Литературата започва точно оттам, където свършва личната изповед…
Въпреки антинационалистическите и антипатриотарски есета, струва ми се, че всъщност Дубравка пише с една особено изконна любов по погубената Югославия. Eсетата са от началото на 90-те, когато тя е на 40 години и емигрира в Ню Йорк след започването на войната в юго републиките. Всичките текстове са пропити от ужаса на войната, от нещастието да си беглец на сигурно място, докато роднини и приятели са под бомбен обстрел.
Есето„Homeland” ми е абсолютен фаворит, което ще си препрочитам редовно.
Изпитвам изключително смесени чувства от цялото творчество на Дубравка Угрешич, тъй като не знам дали възхитата и насладата от четенето на текстовете й може да компенсира мрачните мисли и тъгата, които пораждат.
„Моята майка събира чуждата смърт и тъжно дрънчи с нея като с монети в спестовна касичка”
Литературата започва точно оттам, където свършва личната изповед…
Въпреки антинационалистическите и антипатриотарски есета, струва ми се, че всъщност Дубравка пише с една особено изконна любов по погубената Югославия. Eсетата са от началото на 90-те, когато тя е на 40 години и емигрира в Ню Йорк след започването на войната в юго републиките. Всичките текстове са пропити от ужаса на войната, от нещастието да си беглец на сигурно място, докато роднини и приятели са под бомбен обстрел.
Есето„Homeland” ми е абсолютен фаворит, което ще си препрочитам редовно.
Изпитвам изключително смесени чувства от цялото творчество на Дубравка Угрешич, тъй като не знам дали възхитата и насладата от четенето на текстовете й може да компенсира мрачните мисли и тъгата, които пораждат.
„Моята майка събира чуждата смърт и тъжно дрънчи с нея като с монети в спестовна касичка”
October 22, 2018
“From the Empire State Building, New York looks like a child’s playground version of Yugoslavia. Brooklyn—-now that’s Slovenia. The Brooklyn-Slovenes are diligently setting up their frontiers, their customs posts, bringing in their currency, which they’re calling the “tollar” (not the dollar). The Brooklyn-Slovenes are abandoning New York forever. And over there are Queens-Serbia and Bronx-Croatia. The Bronx is desperately seeking its independence, insisting it has always been separate from New York City. Queens is not letting it secede, apparently they aim to control the whole of New York. The telephone lines between the Bronx and Queens have been cut off, communications are blocked, the people in Bronx watch only Bronx-TV, the people in Queens only Queens-TV...The Bronx is already half destroyed, there are many dead. Things are heating up in Manhattan and seething in New Jersey. Whose side will they be on in the war that is creeping through the tunnels, inching towards the bridges, knocking on their doors?”
“What can I say about the muffin? ... The muffin cries out for us to wash it down with tea or milk. The muffin has no personality, the muffin is the zombie of breads.”
“What can I say about the muffin? ... The muffin cries out for us to wash it down with tea or milk. The muffin has no personality, the muffin is the zombie of breads.”
December 31, 2021
Ugresic writes with a clarity and a succinctness that always makes her essays enjoyable to read. The title of this book is somewhat misleading; it's not really a series of reflections on America as a nation - rather, it's primarily a collection of writings of her time in New York City during the early years of the Balkan Wars (and reflections on her disorientation at having had to leave her loved ones and her homeland at the sudden outbreak of what ended up being a long and shockingly violent war).
Like many emigres, she falls in love with the city, its vigor and its idiosyncrasies. As a New Yorker, it's always fun to read how the city affects those who come to it later in life. At times, it's hard to tell which of the pieces are meant to be read as biographical, which as speculative, and which as simply lyrical (a helpful PS section appears at the end of this edition, written some 25 years after the original book was published, in which she brings the reader up to speed on what has changed and what hasn't in the interim). But that didn't detract all that much from the experience of engaging with them.
Like many emigres, she falls in love with the city, its vigor and its idiosyncrasies. As a New Yorker, it's always fun to read how the city affects those who come to it later in life. At times, it's hard to tell which of the pieces are meant to be read as biographical, which as speculative, and which as simply lyrical (a helpful PS section appears at the end of this edition, written some 25 years after the original book was published, in which she brings the reader up to speed on what has changed and what hasn't in the interim). But that didn't detract all that much from the experience of engaging with them.
May 17, 2024
No conocía a esta señora, de la cual tengo pendiente por leer el de Baba Yaba, y ahora, cuando estaba escribiendo esta nota (llamarlo reseña me parece ambicioso), acabo de enterarme que murió en marzo del pasado 2023; no sé, es un palo.
Ficcionario americano es la crónica del exilio en los estados unidos de una mujer salida de una Yugoslavia en proceso de autodescomposición, en donde a modo de diccionario en el que aporta su descripción particular de algunos de los términos más populares en su tierra de acogida, la autora permite asomarnos a un divertido proceso de vivisección de la sociedad norteamericana de la época, los años noventa del siglo pasado (aunque esta es una edición corregida por la propia autora con fecha de 2017), y del choque cultural que representa ese salto a un país que parece proveniente de otro planeta para una ciudadana de la Europa Oriental.
Ficcionario americano es la crónica del exilio en los estados unidos de una mujer salida de una Yugoslavia en proceso de autodescomposición, en donde a modo de diccionario en el que aporta su descripción particular de algunos de los términos más populares en su tierra de acogida, la autora permite asomarnos a un divertido proceso de vivisección de la sociedad norteamericana de la época, los años noventa del siglo pasado (aunque esta es una edición corregida por la propia autora con fecha de 2017), y del choque cultural que representa ese salto a un país que parece proveniente de otro planeta para una ciudadana de la Europa Oriental.
September 21, 2024
Gepubliceerd in 1993 en (onvermijdelijk) gedateerd dus. Maar wat Dubravka Ugrešić schrijft over de oorlog die toen woedde in ex-Joegoslavië blijft bijzonder interessant, pregnant, relevant. Wat me het meest bijblijft? De onverschilligheid waarmee het Westen toen toekeek en de meest barbaarse wreedheden in de eigen achtertuin tolereerde - inclusief concentratiekampen en regelrechte genocide. De Balkanstaten: een ingewikkeld kluwen en eeuwenlang een kruitvat. Een mens zou zowaar heimwee krijgen naar Tito (die in heel Sarajevo de grote afwezige is, op een goed verstopt en piepklein museumpje na).
March 3, 2021
въпреки, че това е второто издание на тази книга и изричното уточнение на самата авторка за “неприемливостта” на такъв тип книги, така и не успях да преодолея лекия хлад от някои неща в нея.
да, угрешич отново е чудесна, истинска, много добра и все пак при цялото ми съчуствие към всеки оказал се изведнъж в ситуация на война, някак не разбирам, ( интелектуално, не емоционално), очакванията другите да са в същата степен потресени, като нас!
та ние бяхме на крачка от тази война, а съпричастността и интереса към нея, не бяха в повече от този на запад, хеле в сащ.
да, угрешич отново е чудесна, истинска, много добра и все пак при цялото ми съчуствие към всеки оказал се изведнъж в ситуация на война, някак не разбирам, ( интелектуално, не емоционално), очакванията другите да са в същата степен потресени, като нас!
та ние бяхме на крачка от тази война, а съпричастността и интереса към нея, не бяха в повече от този на запад, хеле в сащ.
October 1, 2024
Después de vivir cuatro años en EE.UU., leo el libro con mi mitad europea que vivió allí. He adorado su ironía y su sarcasmo, también su forma de hacer suya lo americano hasta llevarlo al terreno de la fantasía y lo literario porque también lo hice yo.
Quiero ser Dubravka Ugrešić y quedar de cuando en cuando a tomar café.
Quiero ser Dubravka Ugrešić y quedar de cuando en cuando a tomar café.
May 29, 2025
mientras leía me daban más y más ganas de ir a croacia, a serbia, y a nueva york. lo que más rescato son sus reflexiones sobre la escritura y sobre el oficio de escribir (además de lo bien que escribe, tan suelto y ligero), en especial cuando habla del oficio de escribir siendo refugiada en esa dimensión otra, ese planeta distinto que es estados unidos.
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