Fatelessness: The beginning

Last week I started reading Fatelessness by Imre Kertesz and I hope the book is as enjoyable as it seems to be. Of what I know, it is a story about a 14-year-old Hungarian Jew's experiences in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps during the Holocaust. The author won the Nobel Prize in 2002 so I think the book will be a good picture of what was happening during the Holocaust.

After reading a book review we answered some questions:
1. Which perspective (positive or negative) does the author of the review have towards FATELESSNESS? Provide evidence.
The author of the review has a negative view of the events, worried sometimes of what could happen to him in that kind of situation. As he says, while reading "one is confronted to a question". We ask ourselves and reflect on the situation: "Would I have done the same as this ultimately trusting, suffering lad?" The author also mentions that the story represents an inexplicable and unrationalisable camp experience.

2. According to the review, in which ways does FATELESSNESS make readers empathize with the main character of the story?

While reading, we are "constantly confronted with an empathetic version of ourselves by asking and questioning if we would have acted, reacted and rebelled the same way and have the guts to stand up. Would we be strong enough to see ourselves in such situation, like watching friends die or ourselves starve to death?".

3. In the second paragraph of this review, we are presented the plot of the story. Is this enough information to engage you as a reader? Does it provide an effective invitation to read "FATELESSNESS"? Justify

Probably the information presented of the plot is enough to catch a reader but in my specific case, the urge to read the book is indescribable. I have always wanted to read a book like this one about the Second World War. I already had the opportunity to read Anne Frank's Diary about five years ago in Spanish and I really enjoyed it.

We then watched a video of an interview to Imre Kertesz who was born in Budapest in a Jewish family. In 1944 he was sent to Auschwitz at the age of fourteen. He survived the German concentration camps and returned back to his native Budapest where he has been living since. During communism, Kertész worked as a journalist, playwright and translator. Fatelessness (Sorstalanság) was first published in Hungary in 1975.
It was consequently translated into German, French and Swedish.In 1992 Fateless was published in English and in 2002, Imre Kertész received the Nobel Prize for literature.

After watching the video we answered some questions:
1. Before the interview, the presenter visits a monument to the Holocaust created by the American artist Peter Eiserman. Considering the shapes, architecture and general design, in what ways do you think he represents the reality in the concentration camps?
The monument represents the vulnerability people felt in real concentration camps during WWII. While visiting the monument, you also feel lonely and vulnerable because of all the passages around you. The stone structures may represent the power of the Nazis.

2. Which is the paradox the presenter mentions regarding Imre Kertész and the place where he lives?
Paradoxically, Imre feels more free in Germany than in any other place in Europe. Germany was the place where all of the antisemmitist ideas began and Imre was part of the Jewish community and concentration camps. He feels free in the country that once wanted to kill him.

3. Refer to antisemitism before and after Auschwitz according to Kertész.
Antisemitists after Auschwitz want another Auschwitz. They will not make the same errors of the past. Later in the video, it is mentioned that now it is not antisemitism but rather totalitarianism.

4. In what way do reminders of the past in historical books make us "much richer"?
We learn and know what happened from a different perspective. You probably didn't live during those times but you still know what happened due to books and recounts from another perspective than the ones who lived.

5. Which metaphor does Imre use to exemplify the effect of FATELESSNESS on its readers?

Although Imre was told that nobody cared about the topic he was writing about, he said that "it continued to worry our souls and now knocked out of the cabinet". That's how people feel when reading the book.

So far I have read the first two chapters of the book so here are some analysis questions about chapter one:

1. What characters are introduced in this chapter?

First, Georg ( or Gyuri as it is called in the book) is introduced and seems to be the main character. His father, stepmother and mother then take place in the story, although Gyuri didn't live with his mother and she is just mentioned by phone. Mr Suto who was the one in charge of the family properties due to the proximity of the father's departure. Annemarie who is a girl about the same age as Gyuri. Then, several relatives of the family get to the house to say good-bye to Gyuri's father. Relative like Uncle Wille (a journalist), Uncle Lajos (who seems very religious), Uncle Steiner, Uncle Fleischmann, Gyuri's stepmother older sister and mother, Gyuri's father parents and the baker of a local shop.
2. Choose two characters and select a quote to describe them physically or psychologically.

Baker: "He did not bother returning my greetin as it is well known in the neighbourhood that he could not abide Jews" (p. 12)

Annemarie: "She is fourteen years old, or thereabouts. She has a long neck and is already starting to round out under her yellow star" (p.13)
3. What is the narrative technique? Provide evidence

Point of View: First Person. ("I didn't go to school today", P.3)
Narration: Indirect ("We were already on the upper floor when it occurred to my stepmother that she had forgotten to redeem the bread coupon. I had to go back to the baker's." P.12. The narrator talks about others and about himself, but he is not intentionally talking to the reader.)
Speech: There is a combination of direct and reported speech. Direct (""No, I haven't" "Come with me", he said" P.21. The characters talk to themselves, in this case, Gyuri tells his Uncle Lajos that he hasn't prayede for his father so Uncle Lajos answers him.) Reported ("We were already on the upper floor when it occurred to my stepmother that she had forgotten to redeem the bread coupon. I had to go back to the baker's." P.12. The narrator tells the main events that happened by summarizing them.)
Tense: Past tense. ("I didn't go to school today", P.3)
4. Describe the setting of this chapter

 The setting of the story is about 1940 during WWII in Budapest, Hungary. Jews had to use a Yellow Star during the Holocaust. Gyuri's dad is about to go to labor camps (concentration camps).