The tutors

The tutors (original title: Tutori ) is a novel by Bora Ćosić . It was published for the first time in 1978 and the German translation was published in 2015. The translator Brigitte Döbert was awarded the Leipzig Book Fair Prize (Category: Translation ) and the Straelen Translator Prize from the Kunststiftung NRW for her translation in 2016.

content

The book is a family chronicle of a Serbian family from Slavonia . It begins with the chapter Theodor 1828 and ends with The Author 1977 . The individual chapters are each written in their own style: The language of the time is used ironically and then modern text forms, for example the first chapter is written entirely in the form of a dictionary.

background

In the mid-seventies, Bora Ćosić came into conflict with Yugoslav cultural policy for his works. He used a long break from writing for numerous walks in Belgrade , during which he bought curious books in ancient language from second-hand bookshops. This gave him the idea for a work that is critical of language and primarily reflects the being bound by linguistic stereotypes. By the time the novel was published, Bora Ćosić was rehabilitated.

criticism

“How“ Die Tutoren ”got the reputation of being untranslatable quickly becomes clear in this uncommonly polyphonic text, which changes both perspectives and stylistic devices several times. Allusions, enumerations, phrases, slang, advertising and technical language - all of this is mixed up, always inspired by fine humor. The result is a polyphonic sound, the content of which is often secondary because the focus is on sound and play. You can tell that the work was created without looking at an audience. "

- Nadine Lange in: Der Tagesspiegel , October 26, 2015

literature

• The tutors . Translated from the Serbian by Brigitte Döbert . Schöffling and Co., Frankfurt am Main 2015, ISBN 978-3-89561-587-0 .

Web links

• Nadine Lange: "From List Country to Phrasistan". In: Der Tagesspiegel, October 26, 2015

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The tutors. Translated from the Serbian by Brigitte Döbert. Frankfurt am Main: Schöffling and Co., 2015, ISBN 978-3-89561-587-0 , p. 785f.
2. ↑ https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/die-tutoren-von-bora-osi-von-listenland-nach-phrasistan/12493244.html