 |
Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz
Author: Philip Spires  | Posted: 25-03-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 35 | Rating: (63)  (?) 
 Some writers try to shock. At least it often seems that they embark upon a novel with that in mind. They create books set in times of conflict, amid war or pestilence, where the context is vivid, horrific or even repulsive. And often it is so well known that we engage with the setting, the context or scenario, rather than the plight of the characters. Or sometimes writers deliberately try to portray the unsavoury, often attempting to present sadistic brainlessness in a form that suggests anti-hero, ignoring the requirement that such a character needs at least some aspect of the heroic to deserve the name. These bite-sized pieces of nastiness are thus presented in a form that is easily digested in the end, the product usually attaining only triteness. Meanwhile others try to deliver blood and guts, their raison d’etre, as a means of eliciting revulsion and shock in the reader.
And then sometimes – rarely, in fact - we are presented with the truly shocking in a matter of fact way. Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich might fall into this category. The narrative just about never asks why anything happens; it just does and we, the readers, along with the subject of the story go along with whatever is demanded. We are invited to experience the unacceptable alongside and along with the characters, and in doing so we are invited to confront what we ourselves might have done in such circumstances. These books locate the reader within the experience, never merely tell us about it.
In Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz the writer elevates this form to another level. Not only are we presented with an inexplicable, an unrationalisable concentration camp experience of a fourteen-year-old Jewish boy, we are also presented with a character who apparently can neither feel nor express malice. As he wastes away, we are constantly confronted with an empathetic version of ourselves. Would we have reacted in this way? Would we have merely gone along with things, cooperatively, like this? Or would we have rebelled? Would we have had the guts to stand up? And what would have happened if we did? Could we have watched ourselves starve to death? And if we were to find ourselves required to do it, would we then react? Would we rebel? And if so to what purpose? And would we have survived?
Fatelessness is the story of Georg Koves, a Jewish boy from Budapest, who, one day, is diverted from his journey to work along with his mates. No-one bothers to tell the group what might be happening or where they might be going. Georg, however, goes carefully and cooperatively along with everything his directors ask. He makes train journeys, works in concentration camps, falls sick, recovers and survives, though perhaps his society does not. Names do not matter where he goes. Numbers identify, provide a pecking order of privilege that offers no more than survival into another day. But to be merely near one such survivor endows real kudos, if only by proximity of association.
Throughout Fatelessness one is confronted with a question. How might I have coped? Would I have done the same as this ultimately trusting, suffering lad? Would I have survived? And if I did, or even if I did not, would I have used the same or similar resources as this hero?
Fatelessness is a harrowing read, though it never sets out to shock. Life takes you where it goes, irrespective of whether it starts in a privileged family in New York or a ghettoed Jewish confine in 1940s Budapest. One makes of life what it presents, be it wealth, riches, starvation or death. And that’s that. It’s the detail along the way that makes the journey, however.
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fiction-articles/fatelessness-by-imre-kertesz-368551.html
About the Author:I grew up in Sharlston, then a mining village, and later Crofton, near Wakefield, UK. I went to London University and then did two years as a VSO in Kenya. For 16 years I taught in London before moving to Brunei technical education. I worked to Zayed University in the UAE for three years and, since 2003, I have lived in Spain, completing a PhD in education’s role in Philippine development and my first published novel, Mission.
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
The Statement by Brian Moore
By: Philip Spires | 03/01/2008 | Literature
In The Statement Brian Moore's main character is pursued by a Jewish group wanting to avenge a wartime massacre. The book presents a good read alongside many missed opportunities.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
By: Philip Spires | 28/01/2008 | Fiction
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has been showered with priase and attention since it publication. The book deals with Afghanis experience of the turmaoils that have beset their country in recent decades, and this is seen through the lives of a pair of friends who grew up together. It is a deeply moving book.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
By: Philip Spires | 28/01/2008 | Fiction
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini continues the author's depiction of Afghanistan's recent history via the experiences of powerless individuals caught up in the tagedy. In this book he charts the lives of two very different women, Mariam and Laila, whose divergent lives intersect for a while.
Notches
By: Steve May | 31/10/2006 | Careers
When the verdict was read my client smiled broadly and rapidly turned toward me and shook my hand vigorously and patted my shoulder at the same time.
The Kabbalah of Love:part One
By: Shifra Hendrie | 06/08/2007 | Relationships
Where does love come from? What is the difference between unconditional love and love based on an agenda? How can we experience a love that is the touching of two souls? The Kabbalah of Love will start you on a journey of exploration into the source and power of true love.
Essence Of Character - Seven Steps To Creating Characters That Write Themselves
By: Corey Blake | 19/02/2007 | Writing
Creating characters that are believable takes time and discipline. Creating dynamically real individuals and not imposing your own thoughts and impressions upon them is not easy to do, and is often the difference between a novel or screenplay that sits in a closet and one that finds its way around...
Impact Made by Moses
By: Andrew | 25/09/2007 | Art and Entertainment
The article tells about the works and impact created by Moses at those times and how important his works were for the further development of the science.
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
By: Philip Spires | 04/10/2007 | Fiction
Philip Spires, author of Mission, an African novel set in kenya, reviews Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler.
Latest Fiction Articles
Fiction Books: Creating a New Sense of Enthusiasm in Readers
By: Alden Jerry | 25/07/2008
Fiction books are playing an eminent in providing excitement and thrill to their readers
Ending A Story The Right Way
By: Robert Starr | 23/07/2008
Choosing an ending for your fiction dictates how satisfying the whole experience will be for the reader.
Somalia, Long John Silver and the U.n
By: Edward Chupack | 21/07/2008
What do Somalia, Long John Silver and the U.N. have in common? The answer, unfortunately, is confusion.
Barbara Corrado Pope Launches New Career as a Novelist
By: Barbara Corrado Pope | 19/07/2008
Barbara Corrado Pope, professor emerita in Women’s Studies, has a passion for making history come alive, especially through the study of vibrant and strong women in every historical period. Barbara’s devotion to women’s studies and history inspired her to play a prominent role as a leader in fostering the integration of race and gender into the UO curriculum.
How Do Pirates Dress for Halloween (and What Do They Do?)
By: Edward Chupack | 17/07/2008
How do pirates dress for Halloween? They can't strap on a peg leg, prop a plastic parrot on their shoulders, apply an eye patch and wrap a red bandana around their scurvy heads. That's no fun at all -- not for a pirate on Halloween. That would be like we landlubbers wearing a suit to a Halloween bash -- the same suit and "business casual" clothing that we wear to work each day.
The Man in the Starched White Shirt
By: Edward Chupack | 16/07/2008
So there I was, riding my usual train one day, in my starched white shirt, reading the newspaper and looking out the window, exceedingly happy, when I saw a book that another passenger was reading. The book was "Sliver", but I misread the title and believed that the book's title was "Silver", and immediately envied the author that had come up with the idea of writing the memoirs of Long John Silver. Where could I buy that book?
How to Write a Short Story
By: Curtis Foster | 15/07/2008
Have you ever read a magnificently written short story and said, “Wow, I wish I could write that way!” You can, and it may not be as difficult a challenge as you think.
A Fool's Knot
By: Philip Spires | 15/07/2008
A Fool's Knot is set in Kenya and features the same characters as Mission, published in 2007. The novel deals with how people, societies and cultures change as they develop, particularly focusing on the role played by education.
More from Philip Spires
Stamboul Train by Graham Greene
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
Stamboul Train was the novel that made a name for Graham Greene. In is, several characters travel across pre-war Europe on the Orient Express. The character's indiviual plots intertwine and interact during the journey, a journey that for some of them is definitely one way.
After These Things by Jenny Diski
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
In After These Things Jenny Diski gives life and thoughts to Old testament characters. She creates a psychological drama out of myth, a drama that explres human realtionships, marriage and kinship. Her novel thus becomes much more than the story it sets out to interpret.
Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai is a surprising book. Set in India and the USA, the lives middle class families are unpicked, especially in relation to the status of women. Opposites are thus shown to be similar, and an apparently gentle domestic tale becomes tragic.
The Hired Hand by Melvyn Bragg
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
The Hired Man by Melvyn Bragg is a novel about working class life in England. It starts at the end of the Victorian era and finishes in the 1920s. It is a subtle, but powerful portrayal of the struggle which, by definition, characterises the lives of ordinary people.
Life at the Top by John Braine
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
It is over forty years since John Braine published Life At The Top, a novel that presents a stark, perhaps cynical view of the British class system. Its frank portrayal of relationships and sex caused a stir at the time. Fifty years later, it is still poignant, and it also reminds us that some things have changed a lot, though not the British class system.
Double Vision by Pat Barker
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
Double Vision by Pat Barker is a highly complex novel that examines the relationships, the psychology, the reactions of a group of people each of whom, in their own way, have suffered loss. It is a tender, surprising novel where strong emotions are traded.
Kingdom Come by J. G. Ballard
By: Philip Spires | 18/07/2008 | Literature
Kingdom Come by J. G. Ballard presents a stark view of a Britain driven by rampant consumerism tinged with boredom. It decribes a dystopia that the writer clearly believes is almost upon us.
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
By: Philip Spires | 15/07/2008 | Literature
The Inheritance Of Loss promises much, delivers a lot, but eventually delivers little. Small town concerns trouble the inhabitants of a globalised world, but, though the book charms, it fails to comment.
|
|
Writing 
