POETIČKO-SIMBOLIČKI ASPEKTI PRIRODE, KESTENA I MIRISA U ZBIRCI PRIČA „RANI JADI“ DANILA KIŠA

Abstract

The primary aim of this paper is to examine the thematic, motivic, and symbolic aspects of nature, with a particular focus on the motif of the chestnut in Danilo Kiš’s short story collection Rani jadi. The symbolism of the chestnut appears in various forms: as the scent of wild chestnut blossoms, as the Street of Wild Chestnuts, as a chestnut-lined avenue, and as the family home once located on a street named after chestnuts. This metaphorical network renders the chestnut not merely a botanical symbol of nature, but also a carrier of memory, emotional recollection, and a lost idyllic world of childhood. The adult Andreas (Andi) Sam’s initial search for remnants of the past-any trace of something “chestnut-like”-becomes, at the same time, a search for time, space, and identity. This motif transforms into an ontological quest for a lost paradise, for meaning, and for peace that no longer exists in the reality in which Andi now lives. The symbolism of the chestnut is thus closely connected to four key entities: nature, time (both past and present), family, and identity. In addition to the chestnut, the paper explores a broader representation of nature, which in Kiš’s narrative poetics does not serve merely as a backdrop to the story, but as a space of intimate experience and sensory perception. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the sense of smell, which in the memories of the young Andi takes on a powerful emotional and symbolic function. Nature is portrayed as a refuge from a reality marked by war, poverty, the loss of a father, and the disappearance of a carefree existence.