Marko Dinić's Book of Faces: A powerful testimony to Jewish life

Marko Dinić's Book of Faces: A powerful testimony to Jewish life

Today is a very special day for the Austrian author Marko Dinic. With his new novel "The Book of Faces", which is on the longlist for the German Book Prize 2023, he has presented an impressive work that addresses the complex history of the Jews in Serbia. The author, who was born in Vienna in 1988 and grew up in Serbia, returns for his second publication after “The Good Days” from 2019.

The narrative is both extensive and profound. On a total of 464 pages, Dinic describes the fate of the Jewish community during the Second World War, especially the time when Serbia was occupied by the German Wehrmacht. In the novel, the year 1942, a summer that was fateful for the Jewish population, is particularly highlighted. On that day, Serbia was declared “free of Jews,” marking a dramatic turning point in history. The Jewish General reports that a valuable Haggadah hidden by Olga's mother becomes a symbol of the preservation of cultural heritage.

The protagonists of the novel

At the center of the story are Isak Ras and his mother Olga. After Olga's sudden disappearance, Isak is taken in by an anarchist couple, Rosa and Milan. During his search for his mother and his own identity, Isak grows beyond himself. Also noteworthy is the character of Mirko Dinic, a Serbian official and collaborator, who acts as the arch-villain. This goes hand in hand with other central themes such as historical revisionism and remembering the dark chapters of the past.

The novel's narrative structure is special: it includes eight stylistically different chapters that take on different perspectives and take the reader on an emotionally stirring journey. Here we encounter not only human fates, but also literary references that underline Dinic's deep roots in the literary tradition.

A piece of history

Metaphorically speaking, the action shifts not only geographically but also temporally, back to an era in which the Jewish community in Serbia had to take a difficult turn. The history of Jews in Serbia dates back to Roman times, but took a particularly tragic turn in the context of World War II. As from the article on Wikipedia shows that out of 82,500 Jews in Yugoslavia, only 14,000 survived the Holocaust. These facts underpin the historical background that Dinic uses in his work.

The book conveys the brutal events and the different perspectives of the characters and is often referred to as memoir literature. Despite the plot being difficult to access on several levels, it remains an indispensable contribution to the processing of history. In a country marked by discrimination and persecution, Dinic's work is more than just a book - it is an attempt to preserve collective memory and identity.

“The Book of Faces” is published by Zsolnay and costs 28 euros. This work is not only a literary discovery, but also a powerful call to reflect on the past and its impact on the present. It is to be hoped that Dinic will reach many readers with his novel and make an important contribution to the discussion about the Holocaust and its aftermath.