Eine Art missverstandener Bildungsroman

Personal Disclosure: I have watched the film by Alan J. Pakula with Meryl Streep twice in its entirety (the first time in the original in the cinema), and the Auschwitz scenes in relevant documentaries a few more times. In this regard, Sophie's titular decision was not a big surprise to me, and the course of the rather faithful adaptation was still quite well remembered. However, the successful cinematic implementation of certain scenes causes confusion when reading later, because for the narrator Styron, sometimes the means seem to be the end. And since he has given his literary alter ego a lot of his own life experience on the long way to Sophie's choice, Holocaust junkies are in for rather long droughts.

Sophie's Choice is the fourth and final novel by William Styron and, on one level, the prehistory of his debut, "Lie down in darkness." For the story of a young man who wants to land a woman at all costs, I would even give four and a half stars. Especially since the descriptions of the erotic approaches to his three women, even in failure, belong to the active points of the novel with autobiographical elements. The first chapter, with its portrayal of the literary business at the lowest level and the fantasies of a young author, proved to be a tailor-made start. In fact, the more or less biographical chapters are the strength of the book. I find the Sophie chapters a bit weaker, as they are drawn from secondary sources and perhaps padded out retrospectively, even though I really like the approach that Sophie, as a rather uninvolved person, is drawn into the extermination machinery. The main heroine, as tragic as her fates and decision-making difficulties may be, remains relatively pale for me, especially in comparison to her lover Nathan, whose behavior, starting with the hours-long chatter in the Southern dialect and drug use up to the acts of violence against his women, strongly reminds me of Norman Mailer, who already at the end of the fifties published a literary execution of his circle of friends in "Würdigungen einige beiläufige, gewagte kritische Bemerkungen über Talente unserer Zeit," in the course of which Styron, as an author, came off particularly badly. Even though there were top marks for the smearing with the critics and the greasing of every imaginable cog in the literary business.

In terms of timing (SC was published just under 1 year after the somewhat one-dimensional TV series Holocaust), Styron was once again absolutely right, as with his slave rebellion book, "The Confessions of Nat Turner," which came onto the market in 1967 as a historical commentary on the recent racial unrest. Both books provoked the hardliners on the victim side: black civil rights activists who saw too many clichés at work in Styron's leader of the only slave rebellion, and representatives of Jewish organizations who perhaps held Auschwitz to be an exclusive event and saw their monopoly on suffering under the Nazis scratched.

However, the one-sidedly topic-fixed interest groups overlooked the main point in Sophie's fate. The massive guilt complex for her intellectual complicity, the shabby opportunism and her value-free willingness to adapt, and of course also her role as the longest dead end in a young man's desperate search for the first number. As mentioned at the beginning, I find the image of a young author before his first novel very successful, and the portrayal of the psychopathic antagonist also convinces me very much. With Sophie, however, I still lack some facets for a fully harmonious portrait. Perhaps, in contrast to Nathan, the right living model was missing. But that Sophie's lover and murderer comes across as the greatest racist in his attacks may have satisfied some parts of the readership and outraged others even more.

Styron's Life's Work

In retrospect, it is difficult to determine how much calculation or well-intentioned motives lie behind the characterizations and character constellations in Styron's novels that are perceived as provocative, but with his two great public successes, he undoubtedly benefited from the timing. His depressions and alcoholism have certainly also contributed to the fact that in the remaining approximately 30 years of his life, no further extensive novel has been published. On the other hand, in his four novels and the story, "The long march," he used up the substance of his life. He was never a great plot inventor. Significantly, his first book after SC describes his own depression, a step that is as brave as it is desperate or telling for an author who does not stray too far from his biography or primary experiences.

His debut was a Faulkner remake with a shot of Joyce around the suicide of a youthful love and the motives. "And set fire to this house" is a description of the scene of the creative tax exiles in Europe. There, Irwin Shaw, who was linked to the film industry, should also bring a marriage for Stingo into being. In the second full novel, a woman being pursued by a monster has to be helped, but the rescuer does not shy away from a murder either, back from the millionaire libertine who is classified as a repeat offender. Nat Turner was probably a personal concern and active local history at the most favorable possible time. SC begins as a youth story and processes the remaining bit of biography that was freely available at that time in this particular coming-of-age novel. Regarding his, as far as is known, extremely happy marriage and the associated rich literary and social life, Styron, as a novelist, always made a detour.

From a postscript of a critical review for the wonderful book "Thea in the Dark" (https://pepperlines.blogspot.com/2018...), which also serves as my telegram for this absurd book. I don't waste my time so easily on it.

Recently, I tried to read the book "Sophie's Choice" as well. I have never read a more absurd book. Sophie, the protagonist according to the title, first appears around page 70 - don't ask better where her choice appears! I have already seen the movie and know the story, but I thought that reading would offer me another pleasure. I have never witnessed such clumsiness. Let's leave it, Stairon, with your speeches - and here the word has a double meaning: literal, since the narrator, Styron, has a style with every blink, and metaphorical, as his alter ego, Stairon himself, enjoys this endless navel-gazing or more precisely, phallocentric gaze, to the point of obsession, so that he constantly forgets the possible story that he tries to place or convey many, many, many densely written and huge pages further on. While "Thea in the Dark" is so shocking and accurate, "Sophie's Choice" is so boring and irritating. The only reason for someone to read it is out of curiosity to finally find out what this choice of Sophie's is. From the moment the movie came out, this reason was also lost - I wonder, Stairon, how you let the movie steal your unique literary asset right out of your hands!

"Alegerea Sofiei"

William Styron

To have a more pleasant reading experience, please open this book with a subdued enthusiasm, free from prejudices, with a pen, notebook or stickers, depending on your preference, with the softest and warmest spirit possible.

Such books are not read quickly. Every action and inaction of the characters is taken into account.

Why be free from prejudices? Because we have no right to judge the actions of those who have known death, have looked it in the eye or have known its horrors. Yes, it is fiction, but every story has at its basis a moment of inspiration, something heard, something lived.

Reading this book, I understood the meaning of - Book Cult, why we come to recommend certain books even after 20 years, books that capture certain subjects so well crafted that the others with affinities seem pale and meaningless.

Around the middle of the book, I stopped and thought, how does war mutilate innocent souls? I have not directly known such a person. Fortunately, the books that have characters who have gone through such moments allow me to have an approximate outline. And "Alegerea Sofiei" is one of those books, with an abundance of details, some of which you would never want to read!

Styron's book is a true discovery. I started without any kind of expectation and ended up with a bag of emotions that I still don't know how to categorize or calm.

Stingo is the voice that tells us his story, that of Sophie and that of Nathan. He, a young confident, I would say smoked, who after realizing that he has no talent as a writer takes refuge in Brooklyn, where he meets the last two. A strange couple for his taste, but who manages to change his perceptions about true suffering, about love, empathy and sacrifice!

She, a Pole who has gone through the horrors of Auschwitz, taken under the schizophrenic wing of Nathan, tries hard to seem normal. Analyzing this trio, I thought of a phrase that I picked up from somewhere - If you don't see the crazy one, it means it's time to ask yourself how healthy you are?!

Those who are similar gather, and the fate of the 3 wanted a more special end.

You will read a profound description of the torments of a woman who has come out of the camp with her soul sewn with black thread, an emotional state that encompasses so many extremes in one place that you have the impression that you are reading about several women at once. This is the result of the imposed choice, the culminating point reveals the mystery of her choice, where the break with lucidity took place and the self-flagellation manifested through a martyrdom and/or unrestrained behavior began. Extremes!

There are 700 pages, depending on the edition of course.

Led by the title, I chose well!

I was in the local library during last spring break, procrastinating from grading and other tasks. I was browsing a shelf of high school reading list books. I wanted to check out something as a reward for the work I was hopefully going to do eventually. I really love Deer Hunter-era Meryl Streep. Even though I've never seen Sophie's Choice, I vaguely remembered the movie coming out when I was a little girl, and Meryl looking especially beautiful. I had also just finished The Book Thief and was longing for another WWII-era book to take me back to the heart-wrenching experience I had. So, I picked up Sophie's Choice. Let's just say that very little legitimate work got done for a while. I was obsessed with this book like no other I had read in a long time.

What surprised me was that it's a book about so many things: the writer's life, Southern guilt about slavery, the attempt to articulate the unspeakable, class, resistance, the love of classical music, mental illness, psychoanalysis, what we do to kill our pain, humiliation, the possibility of redemption, motherhood, and God.

Whatever you think it might be, like the stomach-turning scene of a baby being wrested from a mother's arms - it's there, but by the time you actually read the words, you have so many other emotions bouncing off your heart.

It was the kind of book I carried around with me for a few days even though I was done with it because I felt so close to Stingo, Nathan, and of course, Sophie.

To survive Auschwitz, to survive The Choice. I use the capital letter for the word Choice because infinitely great and terrible is the choice that Sophie had to make on the ramp of death... A lyrical and tragic novel... Every page is full of suffering and the last pages are soaked in tears...

Oh well, you are cruel if you don't cry at what the events were announcing and if you don't cry about what you are used to crying about?

This story of survival in Auschwitz is not just a tale of horror but a profound exploration of the human spirit in the face of unfathomable evil. Sophie's choice is a symbol of the impossible decisions that people are sometimes forced to make in the most extreme circumstances.

The novel's lyrical prose adds a layer of beauty and poignancy to the story, making it all the more heart-wrenching. As we read, we are drawn into Sophie's world, sharing in her pain and her struggle to survive.

The tears that soak the last pages are a testament to the power of this story to move us and make us think about the true meaning of survival and the choices we make in life.

American writers are not exactly my preferences, but William Styron won me over immediately.

Don't be discouraged by the 700 pages of the book, every line is worth it. Moreover, the book doesn't only contain the dramatic choice that Sofia was forced to make, but also other collateral narrative threads that are at least as successful. It's just that these didn't take place in the movie adaptation of the novel, yet significantly increasing the value and charm of the book.

Despite the shattering dramas, it's astonishing how much torrid erotism there is between the pages of the book. And it, too, is charged with drama.

The last approximately 65 pages, as I suspected, were charged with a hard-to-bear drama. I read them with emotion, fear, and a tightening of the heart. And a glass of red wine beside me. A shocking book that didn't bore me for even a moment.

However, there are quite a few writing and spelling mistakes.

I consider this to be the epitome of the perfect novel. It is a work that has truly captured my heart and imagination. I have read it not just once, but twice, and each time I have been left in awe of its beauty and depth.

I will hold on to my tattered copy with great care, knowing that it is a precious treasure that I will savour again in the years to come. The story within its pages has become a part of me, and I find myself constantly reflecting on its themes and characters.

Continuously throughout my read, I would pause and be overcome with the desire to pick up the phone and ring up Mr. Styron. I long to ask him his thoughts on a certain passage, to understand the inspiration behind his words, and to gain a deeper insight into the mind of the brilliant author. This novel has truly touched me on a profound level, and I am forever grateful to Mr. Styron for sharing his masterpiece with the world.

**"Sophie's Choice": A Powerful and Thought-Provoking Novel**

In the comprehensive book by W. Styron, he tells the story of the young writer Stingo's acquaintance and friendship with a fatalistic and destructive couple - the temperamental Nathan and the mysterious Sophie. In the summer of 1947 in New York, as Stingo mingles with this pair, he falls in love with the beautiful Sophie. She, unable to free herself from the tormenting love for Nathan, yet exuding sincere human warmth, gradually reveals her past and the crucial choice she was forced to make in the Auschwitz concentration camp to the young writer. This choice is the core of the book, which is difficult to understand with a rational mind. The macabre choice quickly makes the reader think, and wonder what one would do in such a nightmarish situation. The worst part is that there is no escape: no matter what choice is made, the outcome is still very tragic.

The English title of the book, "Sophie's Choice", has even become a phrase when it is necessary to describe an ethical-moral dilemma, that is, a conflict of values that requires choosing one of two (usually undesirable) possibilities.

"Why it is worth reading": "Sophie's Choice" is one of the novels that best reveals the horror of the Nazi concentration camps. Although it is impossible to understand Auschwitz rationally, this work greatly expands the understanding of the horror, absurdity, and meaninglessness of the events that took place there.

The novel raises a number of questions, and finding answers to them is not so easy (and if the book makes the neurons in your brain spin faster than usual, that is already a sign of a good and worthwhile text):
• Why was this novel banned in Poland in 1980?
• How did Sophie manage to survive in the concentration camp when millions were killed in the gas chambers?
• Can it be said that Sophie collaborated with the Nazis and that is what helped her save her life?
• Is it possible to free oneself from the past and get rid of the unbearable feeling of guilt?
• What exactly is that collective guilt and is it reasonable and for how long should the bond of collective guilt be maintained?
• What intense emotional compensation lies hidden in the question of the main character of the book, Stingo: "What did the dear Stingo do when Joseph (and Sophie, and Wanda) suffered in the terrible Warsaw Gehenna (Hebrew for the place of torment, hell)? He listened to Glenn Miller, drank beer, trained after bars, danced. God, what an unjust world!"
• Why such a choice by Sophie? Is it possible for this terrifying situation to end differently, and so on, and so forth.

"The most liked excerpt from the book": "Why did one person in the concentration camp become a cruel overseer who was so brutal to the prisoners that many died through him. Why did another man or woman show the same or different courage, sometimes even sacrificing their lives so that others could live. The starving would give their precious piece of bread or a potato, a soup as thin as water, even though they themselves were starving to death. There were also those who, for a morsel of food, could kill or betray another prisoner."

The conclusion is one: there is always the possibility of choosing one's behavior. However, until you are in a situation where you are in an uncharted ocean with several of your friends, without bread and without water, and you don't start thinking after a few days - which one of them you will eat, until then you know nothing about yourself and you don't know how you will act in one or another situation.

"An interesting fact from the book": The novel vividly reveals the psychological portrait of the concentration camp overseer and the banality of evil. Of course, Hannah Arendt's book "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil" is indispensable in this regard, but W. Styron also does a very good job of showing how easy it is to lose one's humanity and what a thin line there is between a "decent" person and a monster. The novel also made people interested in the biography of one of the characters in the book - Rudolf Hess. And this once again proved that the concentration camp overseers (as confirmed by psychiatrists who studied them and as shown by the results of the experiments of S. Milgram and P. Zimbardo), were usually dutiful and decent citizens, for whom "from moral emptiness every molecule of conscience or decency was wiped clean". Therefore, when brutally implementing the Holocaust policy, most of them thought: "I was given an order and I had to carry it out." So, dear judges in Nuremberg and Jerusalem, understand that we overseers were small cogs in a large mechanism and are not guilty of the deaths of millions of people ☹

In 1982, director Alan J. Pakula adapted the novel "Sophie's Choice" for the screen. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Sophie. It is said that this is the most important role in Meryl Streep's life.

Čini mi se da nikada nisam imala ovakvo putovanje kroz neku knjigu. Na početku, nisam mogla trpjeti ni jednu stranicu. Ona me je bila tako neprijatna da sam je mrzila iz dna duše. Ali, nekakva sila me je navela da nastavim čitati. I onda su počele one stranice koje su mi slomile srce. Bila su tako žestoka i očajna priča o ljudskom patnju. A nakon njih, opet su došle stranice koje su me ubijale, one koje su pokazivale sve loše koje je čovjek sposoban napraviti drugome. Tako smo se kretali kroz ove beskrajne stranice, u krugu iz kojeg nema izlaza sve dok ne dođemo do samoga kraja. A ova knjiga ima više od 800 stranica!

U vremenu nakon 2. svjetskog rata, ovo je priča koja govori o mnogim stvarima. Priča je ne samo o stradavanju židova, već i o seksu koji je tada bio tabu tema, o homoseksualizmu, silovanju, odnosu Sjevera i Juga, predrasudama. I, naravno, priča je o Sofiji i o odluci koju je morala donijeti. Bilo je toliko žena koje su bile prisiljene donijeti ovako stravičnu odluku. Bilo je ljudi, žrtava, bilo je djece, staraca i bogalja. Bilo je mnogo stvari koje su nas čekale na ovim stranica.

The query: \\"At Auschwitz, tell me, where was God?\\" And the answer: \\"Where was man?” Koliko toga je rečeno sa samo dvije rečenice. Ove dvije rečenice govore o tome koliko je čovjek bio sam u svojim patnjama i koliko je bio odgovoran za sve loše što se dogodilo. Govore o našoj sposobnosti da gledamo preko drugih i da ostavimo svoje moralne vrijednosti na strani. I govore o potrebi da se sjetimo ovih stvari i da ih ne zaboravimo.

A book so annoying that I simply couldn't bring myself to finish it. I managed to reach page 200, but that was it. The main issue with this novel lies in its narrator and the pedantic prose he spews forth. He is incredibly wordy and overly self-assured, to the point where you just want to grab him by the nape of his neck and shove his head underwater. It's truly aggravating. And it doesn't help that the book has such long paragraphs and very little dialogue.

Stingo, the protagonist, is a sex-starved loser, and as a result, it makes the other two lead characters, Nathan and Sophie, seem even more pathetic for associating with him. I resorted to reading how the book ends on Wikipedia, so I don't feel too terrible about not completing it. But here's the funny part - this book is approximately 560 pages long, yet the synopsis on Wikipedia is only about three paragraphs. So, this writer, who is a bit of a douche, wasted all that time on a plot that can be succinctly explained in just three measly paragraphs. What this guy really needed was a competent editor. What a complete waste of paper! Don't waste your time on this one.

What a remarkable novel this is!

The prose is sweeping, lyrical, and verbose, setting Bill Styron apart in a class of his own.

It is a challenging novel to read, not only due to its subject matter but also because of the author's dizzying use of the English language.

It is almost an example of metafiction, as Styron casts himself as the narrator in a memoir-like telling of a tragic summer, with digressions about other novels he has written and various factual details about his life.

At a hefty 562 pages of incredibly dense writing, it is a significant commitment that would likely intimidate most readers.

However, if you are in the mood for a classic, epic, and sweeping story, I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with this beautiful and heartbreaking novel!

It offers a unique reading experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Two stars is a rather disingenuous rating. In fact, it might be best left unrated.

The novel is a strange mix. At times, it shines with brilliance, presenting captivating moments that draw the reader in. However, at other moments, it becomes a mind-numbing slog through thick, overly laden prose. It's as if the novel itself is as schizophrenic as the character Nathan.

Contemporary critical reviews have suggested that it is in the tradition of Hemingway or Faulkner, but this is simply not the case. In a way, this book is Styron's, and in turn Stingo's, longing to be part of that great literary genealogy.

There are far better crafted explorations of the themes that "Sophie's Choice" approaches. If you want to understand the banality of evil, read Arendt, not Styron's capsule summary. If you're looking for Southern gothic, read Faulkner. For frustrated virility, Hemingway is the way to go. And if you want a deconstruction of social pretension, Fitzgerald is the author to turn to, not Styron.

That being said, there are parts of the novel that truly captivated me. Nathan's unveiling and Sophie's narration of her experiences in Auschwitz are two of the most singular and powerful moments in the book.

And as for her choice? It was no choice at all. Freud and Lacan have taught us that much, but Sophie would surely hate that I said so.