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A review by casskrug
The Illiterate by Ágota Kristóf
4.0
slim and sparse, this exploration of exile and language was haunting. coming in at 68 pages (including the introduction by helen oyeyemi and the end notes, all of which i found very helpful) agota kristof speaks of her upbringing in hungary and her exile to switzerland during the 1956 revolution. she was forced to learn russian in hungary as a child due to the soviet union’s takeover, and then forced to learn french at the age of 21 after fleeing hungary. she reflects on the difficulties of communicating in her new country, and the silence that befell the hungarian refugees.
there’s also discussion about which language to write in - french, in her case - “i did not choose this language. it was imposed on me by fate, by chance, by circumstance.“ the sparse prose, omitting adjectives and experiences not rooted in reality, reflect the loss of kristof’s mother tongue during exile. there is so much interplay between language and form here, making it a truly thought-provoking read. i also appreciated the opportunity to learn about a period in history that i wasn’t familiar with.
“what would my life have been like if i hadn't left my country? more difficult, poorer, i think, but also less solitary, less torn. happy, maybe.
what i am certain of is that i would have written, no matter where i was, in no matter what language.”
there’s also discussion about which language to write in - french, in her case - “i did not choose this language. it was imposed on me by fate, by chance, by circumstance.“ the sparse prose, omitting adjectives and experiences not rooted in reality, reflect the loss of kristof’s mother tongue during exile. there is so much interplay between language and form here, making it a truly thought-provoking read. i also appreciated the opportunity to learn about a period in history that i wasn’t familiar with.
“what would my life have been like if i hadn't left my country? more difficult, poorer, i think, but also less solitary, less torn. happy, maybe.
what i am certain of is that i would have written, no matter where i was, in no matter what language.”