Svedok protiv svoje epohe: "Semper idem" Đorđa Lebovića
A Witness Against His Era: "Semper idem" by Đorđe Lebović

Author(s): Dragana Jovanović
Subject(s): Jewish studies, History of the Holocaust, History of Antisemitism
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: Holocaust literature; writer-witness; power of literature; childhood motif
Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the testamentary work of Đorđe Lebović, the chronicle-novel "Semper idem". Referring to the author's earlier works, as a survivor of Nazi concentration camps, the paper outlines the similarities and differences in his approach to this unique thematic material. It explores issues of testimony, the need to write, the moments when this need arises, and the literary form the author adopts. Examples are highlighted through which the author identifies causal connections in events leading into the second half of the 20th century, as well as the significance of childhood during the formative years that overlapped with the rise of Nazism. By questioning the (in)capacity of literature in the face of the literary representation of the Holocaust, the paper situates the value of the novel, through a comparative overview, as a medium that supports the preservation of authentic stories from Holocaust victims.

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