Dukla by Andrzej Stasiuk

[kaima]

Andrzej Stasiuk: Die Welt hinter Dukla - Originaltitel: Dukla

Has anyone read this book, or heard of it? As far as I know it is published in Polish as "Dukla" and translated to German "Die Welt hinter Dukla", 1997. German reviews include comments such as:

I see the novel was originally in Polish under the name "Dukla". The German was published in 1997 & one reviewer compared Andrzej Stasiuk to Virginia Wolfe ... writing in vignettes of an hour or two, not longer, carries the atmosphere of Dukla, a town in the middle of nowhere ..

Another speaks of a kaleidoscope of nature .. . one found the book fascinating, another 'not typically Polish in presenting nature and the hard life in the country'... doesn't resent the story of the life style ... doesn't document the daily life in Poland ... concentrated form.


Wow, it appears there are extremes of loving and hating this unusual writing style... Dukla by Andrzej Stasiuk, drawings by Kamil Targosz

1997, ISBN 83-87391-05-0

A collection of short stories.
«This new collection of Stasiuk's artistic prose is derived from nature, imagination and the refuse dump of civilization. Before I started to read him, I didn't suppose that prose could be written in such a manner. The author aims deliberately, and I know of no more apt or sensational metaphors in prose.»
(Henryk Grynberg, Tygodnik Powszechny)

Copyright owner—the author.

176 pages, 8 to 9 Euro in various stores (in Europe).

With such extremes in review, it sounds as if it is worth reading for the experience alone.

[hollister]

Kai,
In a response to a question about his book "Tales of Galica," Tufta wrote, "Yes, I read this and other books of Andrzej Stasiuk. Great observer of life in Poland and our neighbours, He's especially interested in Central Europe. Sharp language, no taboos, a very special Polish sense of humor. Mixed with irony, but self-irony mainly. I guess his prose will be difficult to understand for an average American even with Polish roots. But a great source of knowledge about Poland, Polish mindset, and even wider. About Central Europe as he travels a lot around places in no one else seems to visit. From Beskidy in Poland to Albania and from Slovak province to Moldova. Europe rarely mentioned in the metropolitan, flourishing regions. Stasiuk calls this part of Europe - Europe's subconsciousness."

Original discussion at
Tales of Galicia by Andrzej Stasiuk
jagahost.proboards79.com/index.cgi?board=arts&action=display&thread=160

also you may find the following interesting reading about the battle of Dukla Pass
www.iabsi.com/gen/public/Military_dukla_pass.htm

[kaima]

Holli, thanks for the link to the earlier posting and the commentary. Tufta, I actually copied your commentary without your name and passed it on to a Slovak forum where the topic came up. Seeing this posting and then having Holly take me back to the old topic, I will have to keep my eye opened for Andrzej Stasiuk's works (English or German are all I can handle). I like the description you provide, it sounds like genuine, fascinating writing.

Holly, I know about the iabsi.com site. Bill Tarkulich assembled an amazing collection of Slovak information on that site. I have to wonder how the guy does it!

Kai

[tuftabis]

Kai, since your insight into Europe is through Germany and Slovakia (over the usual Anglo-Saxon insight) you'll probably like very much Andrzej Stasiuk's "Noc. Słowiańsko-germańska tragifarsa medyczna" - "Night: A Slavo-Germanic medical tragifarce".

Interview with Andrzej Stasiuk

www.polishwriting.net/?s=author&c=stasiuk

[kaima]

Interesting. I have never had anyone state "your insight into Europe is through Germany and Slovakia (over the usual Anglo-Saxon insight)", but it sounds like an accurate description. Certainly I feel the years in Germany gave me more of a European perspective, but I never had a fully 'American' perspective limited by our borders, as so many Americans seem to have.

There were many times in Germany when I felt I shared much more of the Eskimo perspective than the German perspective! In any case, thanks for the link & making it easy to read up more on Stasiuk.


SciWriter, check out the article TUfta posted as well. It seems Stasiuk is also fascinated by Albania, an interest of yours.

Kai