Ko je pravi svedok?Svedočenje i pripovedanje u dokumentarnom romanu Sonnenschein Daše Drndić

Abstract

The goal of the paper is to determine whether it is possible to write about an event that is traumatic on both an individual and a collective level. The question the author aims to answer is: Why choose this particular form to represent Holocaust testimony? This question inevitably leads us to a paradox about the very nature of witnessing and the existence of a “true” witness, as all of the true witnesses have perished in the gas chambers. However, theorists such as G. Agamben, J. F. Lyotard and S. Felman show that not only is it possible to speak/write about Auschwitz, but it is necessary to do so. The role of literature in materializing and overcoming trauma must not be underestimated, which becomes evident in the works of Croatian author Daša Drndić and especially her novel Sonnenschein. This novel is unique due to its complex narrative structure and inclusion of different materials such as dialoges, diary entries, lists, official archive material, photographs. As a unique blend of historiography and fiction, the novel presents readers with an expression of the traumatic experience of the Holocaust, giving a voice to the people who had previously been marginalized and forgotten.