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A review by brannigan
The Encyclopedia of the Dead by Danilo Kiš
3.0
I am a fan of Borges, and much of my MA dissertation focused on the disintegration of the Yugoslav state in the midst of conflicting nationalist rhetoric; imagine my delight when I discovered Kiš.
Sadly, great expectations are usually dashed, and I've just put this volume down feeling a little cold. It's hit and miss - my favourite stories were Simon Magus, the Encyclopedia of the Dead and the Mirror of the Unknown. At best though, these are sub-Borges, mostly lacking Jorge Luis' wit and charm that balanced out the high flying intellectualism. Kiš also seems to be uncomfortable with the out-and-out fantastical: for example, after setting up the wonderfully bibliographic hypothesis that forms the premise of the titular story, he can't help but reveal it all to be a dream at the end. A disappointing cliché.
As for the rest of the stories: forgettable, boring. Entries like the Legend of the Sleepers and the Book of Kings and Fools are bogged down by the stylistic constraints Kiš sets himself - biblical, journalistic, distracting him from the dullness of the overall execution. Other stories seem to reflect thinly veiled personal vendettas, such as Red Stamps with Lenin's Head and the Story of the Master and Disciple. I read that Kiš was in a bitter place during the writing of this collection, recovering from accusations of plagiarism in his previous novel and loving estranged from his wife. Some authors may have used this to artistic advantage, but in Kiš' case it just leaves a sour note.
The collection is not without merit. I enjoyed the recurring themes of death and mythology, and what seems to be Kiš' take on semiotics (stories within stories, unreliable narration, etc.). It has its own important place in the study of nationalisms and their mythologies - for example, Pro Patria Mori is a pithy fable that ruminates on the formation and role of political myth and folk tradition as opposed to 'official' documentation.
As a whole, the stories are interesting on an intellectual level only. The glimpses into fantastical worlds are too reluctant and half-formed to merit favourable comparison with Borges. I may delve more into Kiš, but for now I'll more likely look into other Yugoslav authors of the era.
Sadly, great expectations are usually dashed, and I've just put this volume down feeling a little cold. It's hit and miss - my favourite stories were Simon Magus, the Encyclopedia of the Dead and the Mirror of the Unknown. At best though, these are sub-Borges, mostly lacking Jorge Luis' wit and charm that balanced out the high flying intellectualism. Kiš also seems to be uncomfortable with the out-and-out fantastical: for example, after setting up the wonderfully bibliographic hypothesis that forms the premise of the titular story, he can't help but reveal it all to be a dream at the end. A disappointing cliché.
As for the rest of the stories: forgettable, boring. Entries like the Legend of the Sleepers and the Book of Kings and Fools are bogged down by the stylistic constraints Kiš sets himself - biblical, journalistic, distracting him from the dullness of the overall execution. Other stories seem to reflect thinly veiled personal vendettas, such as Red Stamps with Lenin's Head and the Story of the Master and Disciple. I read that Kiš was in a bitter place during the writing of this collection, recovering from accusations of plagiarism in his previous novel and loving estranged from his wife. Some authors may have used this to artistic advantage, but in Kiš' case it just leaves a sour note.
The collection is not without merit. I enjoyed the recurring themes of death and mythology, and what seems to be Kiš' take on semiotics (stories within stories, unreliable narration, etc.). It has its own important place in the study of nationalisms and their mythologies - for example, Pro Patria Mori is a pithy fable that ruminates on the formation and role of political myth and folk tradition as opposed to 'official' documentation.
As a whole, the stories are interesting on an intellectual level only. The glimpses into fantastical worlds are too reluctant and half-formed to merit favourable comparison with Borges. I may delve more into Kiš, but for now I'll more likely look into other Yugoslav authors of the era.