Strukture Vražjeg otoka
The structure of Devil's island

Summary/Abstract: Krleža's short stories tend to organize themselves around one or more crucial moments from the life of the main protagonist. Even outwardly this can be seen from the titles of some of his stories: Smrt Franje Kadavera (1921), Smrt Florijana Kranjčeca (1922), In extremis (1923), Smrt Tome Bakrana (1924), Smrt bludnice Marije (1924), Smrt Rikarda Harlekinija (1925). The uneven composition of Devil's Island (Vražji otok) is mainly centred around five main axes of action: 1) Gabriel Kavran's homecoming, 2) the drinking-party at the inn »Golden Locomotive« 3) the talk between Gabriel Kavran and Dr. Drahenberg-Drakulić at G. Kavran's father's dwelling and, finally, 5) the conflict between father and son. Each of these episodes is an illustration of an important personal relationship from the life of Gabriel Kavran, the protagonist, and to almost each of them, in order to be able to motivate them more fully, the author gives additional explanations about the former life of Gabriel Kavran or about the events of the previous day. The key for such structural organization - condensing the short story into some crucial events - is to be found in the short story Devil's Island itself: »There occur in life moments in which events condense into small dramas built on the very same principles of great dramas in which heroes and kings play their part and blood flows.« (Vražji otok, in: Novele. Zora, Zagreb, 1955, p. 423, translation and italics mine.)

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