Belladonna Paperback – October 31, 2017

Belladonna widened my vision of the world and its superstructure of mind control and human responses. The writers trip through other writers, politicians, the church and scientists were insightful and presented in a most relevant manner. Much of the material is most relevant for today. Sublime!

An important book and an amazing writer. I doubted the comparisons to Sebald but having read it I can only echo them.The moment I finished this book I turned back to the front page; then I ordered Drndic's first novel translated into English. She is on my watch list.

That Adorno once said "to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric" is an oft quoted and perhaps misquoted line, but I tend to appreciate the thinkers who note the etymology of barbaric signifies simply the need for other, new language. Many don't include that he elaborated at length on this sentiment: "that as long as there is an awareness of suffering among human beings there must also be art as the objective form of that awareness."Belladonna deeply satisfies the length and variety of this thought. Drndic's prose is furious and kind at once, as she follows the story of our hero Andreas Ban, himself a sort of living receptacle of historic knowledge: the knowledge of the names of the victims of atrocities -- whose names alone span around 20 pages of the text -- and images and stories which beg that nothing be forgotten. In this manner she uses a new language, at least within this medium and genre, which seeks to fulfill something like Benjamin's description of redemption, in which every moment of the past, of our lives, is understood as absolutely significant -- not solely the progression of conquerers and violence typical to the study of history.Belladonna cannot be an easy read, although Drndic's prose, wonderfully translated by Celia Hawkesworth, is immediately evocative and not difficult to follow. Belladonna entreats, if not commands, that we pay attention to the wealth of knowledge held in its pages, that we read every single name it has sought to elevate to the level of importance typically afforded only to the leaders of conflicts and empires. For this alone, Belladonna would be an absolutely valuable text to read, as an invitation to learn about once almost utopic Serbian cities, destroyed by murder, or about the indoctrination of Croatian children to the fascist NDH -- covering both specificities I would not have encountered otherwise and national histories foreign and unknown to many of my generation. Yet, it is Drndic's powerful voice -- that inescapable blend of fury and deep warmth and empathy -- that elevate Belladonna to the level of a masterwork, of genius. I would recommend this unequivocally to anyone, to everyone.

This is a brilliant novel--acerbic, wise, darkly hilarious, surreal in the best way, and so damn smart about so many things from history to violence to accountability to growing old. It's one of my favorite novels of the year.

This work is a blend of fiction, reality, history, memory and to some extent autobiography.. The main character is memorable and this book, unlike most fiction, is not afraid to confront the reader as it confronts the uncomfortable secrets of individuals, countries and communities. The author died last year - a big loss for literature.