Kris Kelvin and the Immature God of Solaris In the novel Solaris, Stanisław Lem shapes one of the most striking literary experiments regarding the limits of human knowledge and the nature of encountering the “radically other.” Kris Kelvin, a scientist and psychologist, arrives at the station above the planet Solaris with the task of investigating […]
Kafka’s Dimension of Critique. The authors in the text emphasize the critical dimensions of Kafka’s oeuvre, directing attention to the deconstruction of bourgeois subjectivity, the structure of institutions of the modern state, the questioning of modern distinctions between private and public space, work and free time, and other socio-political phenomena. In line with more complex […]
Thomas Mann – Death in Venice: The Path to the Abyss. “Death in Venice” is not merely a novella about decadence and longing, but a profound philosophical study of the conflict between Apollonian moderation and Dionysian chaos. Through the fate of Gustav von Aschenbach, Mann explores the boundaries of artistic creation, the nature of beauty, […]
Crnjanski’s A Novel of London. My desire to read this novel was sparked after a friend, Velibor Petković, cited it as one of the ten most significant novels in our language. I realized I hadn’t read Crnjanski in a long time; I barely remembered Migrations, and from The Journal of Čarnojević, I mainly recalled the […]
I decided to kill. Perhaps it is better say I have always known that. When I was a little boy I always wanted to kill my teacher of music. I wanted that not because I hated her or because I had a bad mark from that subject, on the contrary, I loved her and […]
A Witty, Erudite Atheist’s Guide to the World’s Most Famous Book Everyone should read the Bible, and—I’d argue—should read it with a sharply critical eye and the guidance of reputable critics and historians, though this may be too much to ask for those steeped in literal belief. Yet fewer and fewer people do read it, […]
Last year, fans of modernist Irish literature and impressionist art saw a must-own volume go under the hammer at Bonhams. “In 1935 the French artist, Henri Matisse, was commissioned to illustrate an edition of Ulysses for subscribers to the Limited Edition Club in America,” announced Artlyst. “Each of the 1,000 copies was signed by Matisse and 250 were also […]
Since its publication in 1922, readers have been daunted, dazzled and puzzled by Ulysses. Katherine Mullin introduces James Joyce’s novel, exploring both its commitment to modernist experimentation and to the portrayal of everyday life. Reputation and reception James Joyce‘s Ulysses (1922) may be more talked about than read. It occupies an intimidating position within the […]