“Drugi” u Drugom svetskom ratu: slika Jevreja u romanu “Balkanska trilogija” Olivije Mening

Abstract

Zasnovani na ličnom iskustvu i boravku u Bukureštu u periodu Drugog svetskog rata, prva dva romana serije "Balkanska trilogija" slikaju Rumuniju kao zemlju na margini Evrope, naizgled privlačnu za život u nostalgičnom pogledu zbog slabljenja britanske imperijalne moći i gubitka nekih imperijalnih vrednosti, ali zapravo zemlju u kojoj je realnost drugačija i surovija. Progon i stradanje Jevreja na ovim prostorima svedoče o tome. Tragovi antisemitizma se mogu pratiti u Rumuniji još od vremena doseljavanja Jevreja, a postaju posebno izraženi u periodu Drugog svetskog rata i vladavine Jona Antoneskua. Ovaj rad se bavi istraživanjem reprezentacije Jevreja kao drugih koji su živeli na prostorima Rumunije u doba Drugog svetskog rata, kroz analizu iskustva članova porodice Druker i njihove interakcije sa Pringlovima, mladim britanskim bračnim parom koji dolazi u Bukurešt na početku rata. Primenom postkolonijalne kritike ovaj rad analizira način na koji autorka Olivija Mening slika druge u Rumuniji i ispisuje političku kritiku koja dovodi u vezu britansku inostranu politiku i ideologiju sa sudbinom Jevreja i svih onih koji su u tom periodu posmatrani kao drugi.

Based on personal experience and a stay in Bucharest during World War II, the first two novels of "The Balkan Trilogy" series portray Romania as a country on the margins of Europe, seemingly attractive for living in a nostalgic sense because of the weakening of British imperial power and the loss of some imperial values, but actually, the reality of Romania is portrayed as different and harsher. The persecution and suffering of the Jews in this area testify to that. Anti-Semitism can be traced in Romania since the time of Jewish immigration, and it became especially pronounced during World War II and the rule of Ion Antonescu. This paper investigates the representation of the Jews as the other who lived in Romania during World War II, through an analysis of the experience of the Drucker family members and their interaction with the Pringles, a young British couple who came to Bucharest at the beginning of the war. Applying postcolonial literary critique, this paper analyzes how the author, Olivia Manning, portrays others in Romania and writes a political critique that connects British foreign policy and ideology with the fate of the Jews and all those who were seen as others in that period.