Book recommendation (and review) of the day / Preporuka knjige ( i ogled) dana : Pavao Pavličić, Melem

Today we're going to talk about Melem, a novel by Pavao Pavlichich. This Croatian writer has (so far) published 95 books (most of them are novels), so he must be doing something right when it comes to writing. His works have been translated to German, French, Czech,  Slovakian, Slovenian, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian and Danish language. Pavao, for me, is one of those authors whose works you're certain you will like even before you start reading them. I always end up liking his novels. Nevertheless, I must admit that his novels don't move me as deeply as works by some other Croatian writers. That being said, I do admire his prociency as a writer and the abudance of his writing imagination.

Danas ćemo pričati o Melemu, romanu Pavla Pavličića. Ovaj je hrvatski pisac izdao (do sada) 95 knjige ( većina njih su romani), tako da mu pisanje očito dobro ide. Njegova djela su prevođena na njemački, francuski, češki, slovački, slovenski, rumunjski, bugarski, makedonski i danski jezik. Pavao je za mene jedan od onih pisaca za koje si siguran da će ti se njihova djela svidjeti čak i prije nego što ih pročitaš. Uvijek mi se svide njegovi romani. Ipak moram priznati da me ne diraju toliko duboko kao djela nekih drugih hrvatskih pisaca. Svakako se divim njegovoj spisateljskoj plodnosti, a očito je da i spisateljske mašte ima napretek. 

 His writing style is always fairly simple, but it suits him and I honestly don’t mind it at all. I don't see his minimalistic writing style as a downside, especially in his type of crime novels. Hemingway had a similar writing style, almost journalistic and kind of 'macho' but I always loved Hemingway and I feel the same way about  Pavlichich ( Pavličić). Pavao reminds me of Hemingway in some ways. His protagonists, for example, are always men. His plots are great and his stories is always interesting to read. Still, I wish he would surprise me at least once and attempt something more ambitious.

Njegov stil pisanja je uvijek dosta jednostavan, ali mu pristaje i meni ne smeta. Ne vidim taj minimalistički stil pisanja kao nekakvu manu, pogotovo u ovakvoj vrsti kriminalističkih romana. Hemingway je imao sličan stil pisanja, skoro pa novinarski i pomalo "mačo" pa sam ga uvijek voljela, a isto tako volim i Pavličića. Pavao me podsjeća na Hemingwaya na nekoliko načina. Njegovi protagonist, npr., su uvijek muškarci. Njegov zaplet je uvijek odličan, a njegove su priče uvijek zanimljive za pročitati. Svejedno, voljela bi da me bar jednom iznenadi i pokuša nešto ambicioznije.

I liked this novel and I enjoyed reading it, but it made me wonder if the author is sticking to 'what works' a bit too much.  I really think he ought to try to branch out a bit, create a novel with a bit more complexity, but that's just my opinion. The protagonist of this novel is Srećko (his name translates as Lucky) a guy working in a retirement home. The opening of the novel is really funny. Frustrated with his life, this guy decided to make a run for it. So, in a spur of the moment thing, he steals a taxi parked in front of the retirement home. The plot really starts when our young man wakes up in a hospital. It is a strange private hospital; one he would love to leave as soon as possible but he seems to be trapped there for a number of readers. Firstly, he has a cast which obviously restricts his movements. Secondly, he got there after smashing a stolen taxi and the doctors in the hospital already told the cops he wasn’t there. He will be in trouble if he leaves hospital but also he isn't certain where exactly he is because the hospital is located away from the main roads. Thirdly, he meets a young lady he likes. However, there is something fishy going on in this hospital. Patients suddenly becoming happy. How does that happen? Did the doctors do that? Srećko and his new love interest,  the girl Gorka ( her name translated as Bitter) decide to start their own investigation and get to the bottom of this mistery.

Svidio mi se ovaj roman i uživala sam u čitanju, ali sam se zapitala ne drži li se pisac malo previše onoga što je prokušano i igra li uvijek na sigurno. Mislim da bi trebao pokušati nešto novo, stvoriti malo složeniji roman, ali to je samo moje mišljenje. Protagonist ovoga romana je Srećko, tip koji radi u staračkom domu. Sam početak romana je jako smiješan. Frustriran svojim životom, Srećko odluči pobjeći i bez razmišljanja ukrade taksi ispred staračkoga doma. Radnja zaista počinje kada se naš mladić probudi u bolnici. To je neobična privatna bolnica i on bi rado iz nje što prije otišao, no čini se da je tamo zarobljen na više načina. Gips koji ima na nozi ograničava mu kretanje,  doktori su već rekli policiji da nije tu ( završio je u bolnici jer je slupao ukradeni taksi), biti će u problemima ako ode iz bolnice, nije baš sasvim ni siguran gdje je bolnica samo da je podalje od glavnih cesta, a i upoznao je djevojku koja mu se sviđa. No, u bolnici ne događa nešto neobično. Pacijenti odjednom postaju sretni. Kako se to događa? Jesu li doktori za to zaslužni? Srećko i djevojka u koju se zaljubljuje Gorka odlučuju istražiti što se događa i razotkriti misteriju.

There are two ways to read this book. One of them is simply reading this novel as a crime/ thriller. It works perfectly well that way. However, this novel can also be read from a philosophical point of view. If you have read other works by this author, you would have had noticed a recurring theme of pursuit of happiness. This idea of unhappiness as something fundamental for human existence is exploided well in this novel. Not that this novel is a depressive read, far from it, but it does show how it is certainly not easy to achieve happiness. Moreover, it stresses that happiness even when attainted, doesn't last for very long. It is a bittersweet kind of novel, but it doesn't take itself too seriously and it is spiced with plenty of good humour. In all of Pavao's works, I can see a deeper message and naturally I do like that. This recurring motive of unability to attain happiness speaks volumes about the complexity of human existance. I don't really see his novels as the greatest of literature masterpieces, but they are certainly literature, not just amusing reads. There is a lot we can learn from his novels, if we keep and open mind and forget about the genre stereotypes, and  besides his works are all very reader-friendly. 

Postoje dva načina za čitanje ove knjige. Jedan je jednostavno čitati ovaj roman kao krimić/ triler. Sasvim dobro funkcionira na taj način. Ipak, ovaj roman se može čitati i iz psihološkoga kuta viđenja. Ukoliko ste čitali druga djela ovoga autora, primijetili ste ponavljajuću temu uzaludne potrage za  srećom. Ideja nesreće kao nečega što je osnovno za ljudsku egzistenciju ne nešto što je dobro razrađeno u ovome romanu. Ne da je ovaj roman depresivno štivo, daleko od toga, ali pokazuje kako nije lako postići sreću, a i naglašava kako sreća čak i kada je postignuta ne traje baš dugo. To je gorko-slatki roman, ali ne uzima sebe previše ozbiljno i začinjen je s puno humora. U svim Pavlovim djelima, ja mogu vidjeti neku dublju poruku i naravno da mi se to sviđa. Ponavljajući motiv nemogućnosti postizanja sreće govori puno o kompleksnosti ljudske egzistencije. Ne vidim njegove romane kao najveća postignuća književnosti, ali su svakako književnost, a ne samo zabavno štivo. Možemo puno naučiti iz njegovih djela, ako smo dovoljno otvoreni i ne ograničavamo se žanrovskim odrednicama, a osim toga njegova su djela lagana za čitanje. 

To conclude, I do recommend this novel. It was a fun read that gave me enough food for the thought and that is not something you see everyday. This crime novel is, in a way, also a debate about the nature of happiness. This philosophical aspect of this novel is very refreshing. It is not the most profound novel that I have read, but there is depth to be found in it, if you're willing to keep your mind open. So, what do you say? Will you give him a try? Have you already read something by him?

Da zaključim, preporučila bih ovaj roman. Bio je zabavno štivo koje mi ujedno i dalo dovoljno materijala za razmišljanje, a to nije nešto što se viđa svakoga doba. Ovaj kriminalistički roman je ujedno i svojevrsna rasprava o prirodi sreće. Ovaj psihološki aspekt romana je jako osvježavajući. Nije nešto najdublje što sam pročitala, ali zaista ima dubine za pronaći u njemu, ukoliko ste voljni biti otvorenih pogleda. Onda, što kažete? Hoćete li mu dati priliku? Jeste li već pročitati neko njegovo djelo?