Book recommendation and review / Preporuka knjige i ogled (Guy de Maupassant, Mont-Oriol)

Everyone has probably heard of Guy de Maupassant, a naturalist French writer that is considered to be a master of a short story form. If you google him, you will have no problems finding his short stories, they're available on many online sites. In addition, copy laws don't apply anymore, so you can read them online or even print them out without feeling guilty. He really is the master of short story, so I do think this is something you should do if you love literature. In addition, short stories are great for those crazy days when finding some free time seems impossible.

Svi ste vjerovatno čuli za Guy de Maupassanta, naturalističkog francuskog pisca kojeg smatraju majstorom kratke priče. Potražite li ga internetu, bez problema ćete pronaći njegove kratke priče, koje su dostupne na brojnim internetskim stranicama, a kako su prava izdavača i pisca davno istekla, slobodno ih čitajte pa i isprintajte sebi bez krivnje. On je doista majstor kratke priče pa mislim da je to nešto što trebate napraviti ako volite književnost. Uz to, kratke priče su sjajne za one lude dane kada se pronalazak slobodnog vremena čini nemogućim.

puffer, jakna: no name

necklace/ogrlica: my creation, moja kreacija

scarf/šal: no name

dress/haljina: moda in

jeans/ traperica: vintage

bag/torba: no name

sneakers/ tenisice: startas (same here/ iste ovdje) 

However, today I will not talk about his shorts stories. What I'm recommending to you today is a novel. You have probably all heard about at least one of his novels, because Bel Ami has been turned into a successful film. I still have to read that one, as well as watch the film. Mont-Oriol, the novel I'm recommending today was actually the first novel of his that I had read. Prior to it, I have only read his story stories.

No, danas neću pričati o njegovom kratkim pričama. Što vam danas preporučavam je roman. Vjerovatno ste svi čuli barem za jedan od njegovih romana jer je Bel Ami pretvoren u uspješan film. Ja ga zapravo još nisam pročitala, a ni pogledala film, to me još čeka. Mont-Oriol, roman koji danas preporučam je prvi njegov roman koji sam pročitala. Prije njega, čitala sam samo njegove kratke priče.

One thing that I noticed while I was reading his short stories is that this writer is really a master when it comes to understanding the female mind. He does have a way of getting into the head of his female characters. This is even more visible in this novel than it is in his short stories. In Mont- Oriol, there is a number of interesting characters. The narrative is elegant and natural; it follows a few different threads that make it a really fascinating read. However, I can't help feeling that this novel is actually all about Christiane, a young woman who has a great capacity and hunger for love but she doesn't even realize it at the start of this novel. It is her story that I found most touching and real. I felt like I could really relate to her on so many levels. It is on basis of the success of her characterization that I consider this novel to be a true masterpiece.

Jednu stvar koju sam primijetila dok sam čitala njegove kratke priče je da je ovaj pisac stvarno dobar u razumijevanju ženskog uma, pravi je majstor kada se treba ženi uvući u glavu. Ovo je čak više vidljivo u ovome romanu nego u njegovim kratkim pričama. U ovom romanu postoji cijeli niz zanimljivih likova. Pripovijedanje je elegantno i prirodno, slijedi nekoliko različitih linija što ovaj roman čini jako zanimljivim štivom. Ipak ne mogu protiv toga osjećaja da je ovaj roman zapravo roman o Christiane, mladoj ženi koja ima veliku sposobnost i glad za ljubavlju, ali to zapravo i ne shvaća na početku romana. Njena priča je ona koja mi se učinila najviše dirljivom i stvarnom. Imala sam osjećaj da se s njom mogu povezati na više razine. Upravo na uspjehu razvijenosti njenog lika stvorila sam mišljenje da je ovaj roman pravo remek djelo.

 This writer has a reputation for being a cynic and pessimist, so I might come as surprise to some that his writing is very uplifting to me. I guess there are different types of cynics and maybe that is it, but to be honest this writer doesn't strike me as a cynic at all. It is certainly true that Maupassant reveals dark sides of human nature but the way he does it is very honest and straight forward. I always respect that in a writer. He is the kind of writer that lets you come to your own conclusions; he doesn't force you to see the world in a particular way. A true cynic doesn't believe in love, so Maupassant can't really be a true cynic. Not that this novel is  a typical and happy love story, far from it but it does recognize love for what it is, a force to be reckon with. I do respond to his style of writing on more levels than one and I certainly don't consider myself to be a pessimist of any sort.  I'm the sort of person who stands with my two feet on the ground, always trying to asses the situation instead of running away into pleasant daydreaming. I try not to turn my eyes from the ugly side of life for I believe that to appreciate the good things in life, we must also know about the bad ones.

Ovaj pisac ima reputaciju cinika i pesimista, pa se može činiti iznenađujućim da su njegova djela za mene na neki način podizači raspoloženja. Možda se radi o tome da postoje različite vrste cinika, možda je to do, ali da budem iskrena ovaj pisac za mene nije uopće cinik. Svakako je istina da Maupassant otkriva tamne strane ljudske prirode, ali način na koji to radi je jako iskren i izravan, a kod svakog pisca to veoma poštujem. On je tip pisca koji vam pušta da dođete do svojih vlastitih zaključaka, nema tu nikakva prisiljavanja da vidite svijet na određen način. Pravi cinik ne vjeruje u ljubav, pa Maupassant ne može doista biti smatran pravim cinikom. Daleko od toga da je ovaj roman nekakva sretna i tipična ljubavna priča, ali priznaje snagu i moć ljubavi. Stil pisanja ovog pisca mi odgovora, povezujem se s njima ne više razina, a svakako se ne smatram pesimistom bilo kakve vrste. Ja sam vrsta osobe koja stoji na dvije noge čvrsto na zemlji, uvijek pokušavam procijeniti situaciju umjesto da bježim u ugodno sanjarenje. Ne okrećem oči od ružnih stvari u životu jer vjerujem da bismo cijenili dobre stvari u životu, moramo poznavati i loše.

Besides, acknowledging that human beings are often motivated by greed and lust is not really being pessimistic in my view. It is more being realistic than anything else. I personally don't feel the need to put on a pair of pink glasses just to be able to avoid being depressed. I think there is a way of seeing this world for what it is without feeling depressed about it. People often act in a way that is not very enlightened.  Realizing this makes us appreciate those rare beautiful souls even more. Realizing this can make us appreciate life more, not less. It can make us look up to the right kind of people. Such is my opinion. There are great differences between people, between what they believe in and what they want. This novel highlights that, but in a way that makes us more tolerant about others. At least that is the impression I got. We can't change others, so we might as well stop judging them and concentrate on living our own lives. 

Osim toga, priznavanje činjenice da su ljudska bića često motivirana pohlepom i požudom baš i nije pesmistično ako se mene pita, naprotiv ja bi to prije nazvala realizmom nego nečim drugim. Osobno ne osjećam potrebu da stavljam par ružičastih naočala samo da izbjegnem depresiju. Mislim da postoji način da se ovaj svijet vidi bez da nas odmah uhvati depresija. Ljudi se često ponašaju na način koji baš prosvijećen. Kada to shvatimo, možemo više cijeniti one rijetke prelijepe duše. Shvaćanjem toga možemo više cijeniti život, a ne manje. To nas može odvesti do toga da se divimo pravoj vrsti ljudi, barem je takvo moje mišljenje. Ne možemo promijeniti druge, pa ih onda jednostavno možemo prestati osuđivati i koncentrirati se na življenje našeg života. 

When critics talk about this novel, they often mention the importance of setting and how the wonderful nature creates a contrast with the behaviour of characters. A great deal has been said about the descriptions of nature in this novel and they are truly superb, so if you enjoy that sort of thing, you will have a blast reading Mont-Oriol. Furthermore, the novel has a funny side to it and this type of humour is pretty accessible. I already praised the narrative and the plot. I said how the potrayal of characters is very successful and how the story itself is a very enjoyable read. However, I must get back to Christiane, for I feel she is one of those characters that really came to life. She is a type of character that simply gets under your skin. In the end, you feel her destiny to be as real as she was really one of your closest friends. I said many favourable things about this novel and I can call it a true classic. That all being said this novel did make me feel quite sad at times. When I finished it, I felt uplifted but not in your typical 'life is beautiful' way. It is more that this novel made me feel like life is worth living, despite the fact that it can be so terribly cruel and hard. Christiane's sadness was something I really felt and it did make me cry. 

Kada kritičari govore o ovom romanu, često spomenu važnost lokacije i to kako divna priroda stvara kontrast s ponašanjem likova, a puno toga je rečeno i o opisima prirode koji su doista odlični, pa ako u tome uživate, svidjeti će vam se ovaj roman. Nadalje, roman ima i svoju komičnu stranu i njegova vrsta humora je jako pristupačna. Već sam hvalila pripovijedanje i zaplet, a rekla sam i kako je razvijanje portreta likova jako uspješno i kako je sama priča užitak za čitanje. No moram se vratiti na Christiane jer imam dojam da je ona jedan od onih likova koji su doista oživjeli. Ona je lik koji se jednostavno uvuče pod kožu i na kraju imate osjećaj da je njena sudbina stvarna kao da je jedna od vaših najbližih prijateljica. Rekla sam puno lijepih stvari o ovom romanu i mogu ga nazvati pravim klasikom. Ipak moram reći da me je ovaj roman na dosta mjesta doista rastužio. Kada sam ga dovršila, osjećala sam da mi je raspoloženje podignuto, no ne na onaj tipičan "život je lijep" način. Više sam imala osjećaj da je život vrijedan življenja, iako može biti jako okrutan i težak. Tuga koju je osjećala Christiane je nešto što sam doista osjetila i što me je rasplakalo.

For me there is a great difference between the feelings of depression and sadness. Depression (as a feeling not a medical condition and mental disease) is more selfish feeling, it is created in refrence to not feeling loved or appreciated, while sadness is the kind of feeling we feel when we feel for others, when we're being emphatic. We are sad when we are occupied with a broder picture, when we are concened about others and the world. When we are depressed, we don't see the light because we care only about ourself, because we want to be loved but we don't have the strenght to love others. When we are sad, we don't see the light because it might be hidden at the moment, but we can still feel it because our heart is open. I believe that sadness can make us better people. According to my personal definition of these two words, this novel made me feel sad but not depressed. It did make me cry, but catharsis is often the sign of great literature. There are different types of sorrow and some of them are actually crucial for our personal development and we shouldn't run from them. This novel has a note of tragedy in it, but this tragedy gives birth to the kind of sorrow that can teach us a lot if we open our heart to it.

Za mene postoji velika razlika između osjećaja depresije i tuge. Depresija (kao osjećaj, a ne kao medicinsko stanje i mentalna bolest)  je više sebičan osjećaj, koji se stvara u odnosu na to kada se ne osjećamo voljenim ili cijenjenim, dok je tuga vrsta osjećaja koja se razvija kada osjećamo za druge, kada smo puni suosjećanja.  Tužni smo kada nismo opsjednuto samim sobom nego kada gledamo širu sliku, kada se brinemo za sve, za svijet. Kada se osjećamo depresivnim, ne vidimo svijetlo zato što nas je briga samo za nas same, zato što nemamo snage voljeti druge, a želimo sami biti voljeni. Kada smo tužni, ne vidimo svijetlo jer je možda u tom trenu skriveno, ali ga možemo osjetiti jer nam je srce otvoreno.  Ja vjerujem da nas tuga može učiniti boljim ljudima. Prema mojoj osobnoj definiciji ovih riječi, ovaj roman je u meni stvorio tugu, a ne depresiju. Ovaj roman me rastužio i rasplakao, doista je, ali katarza je često znak prave književnosti. Ima više vrsta tuga, a neke od njih su zapravo ključne za naš osoban razvoj pa ne bismo trebali bježati od njih. Ovaj roman ima u sebi notu tragedije, ali ova tragedija rađa onu vrstu tuge koja nas može puno naučiti kada joj doista otvorimo srce.