Jméno Ian McEwan jsem již párkrát zaslechl, ale protože dávám přednost irským autorům před těmi ostrovními, nechával jsem jej bez povšimnutí. Až náhoda způsobila, že chtěv si pořídit nějaké mapy, zakoupil jsem i čerstvě vydaný překlad románu Nevinný (The Innocent, orig. 1989).

Asi nejvíc mě na knize lákal popis poválečného Berlína ještě před postavením proslavené zdi. To ostatní, tedy vyhloubení tunelu do sovětské okupační zóny kvůli odposlouchávání telefonních hovorů a šifrovaných zpráv, tomu dávalo špionážní nádech. Hlavní postavy románu jsem pak bral pouze jako vypravěče příběhu na pozadí. Ale nakonec to bylo celé jinak.

Hlavní linie vyprávění je založená na mladém Leonardu, který jakožto britský technik přijíždí pomáhat s odposlechy. V Berlíně se seznámí s půvabnou Marií, do které se zamiluje. Ta jeho city opětuje a tak nebrání nic tomu, aby spolu žili šťastně až do smrti. Ne, kecám. Nejde o žádnou červenou knihovnu. Jejich vztah dostává pár trhlin, které se zkraje zacelí (i když…). Tedy až na tu poslední, která se jejich pak jejich životy vleče bez možnosti vrátit se zpět.

Upozornění: následující dva odstavce sice nevyzrazuje rozuzlení knihy, ale obecně poodkrývají události, které se stanou. Můžete tedy být na ně připraveni a při čtení čekat, kdy se stanou a co jsou vlastně zač. Mohlo by vám to ale zkazit pocity ze čtení.

Mariina zpověď, kterou Leonardovi po letech nabízí, ukazuje, jak moc oba ztratili. Hlavně Leonard, který byl jejich vztahem značně zmítán. Místy se zdá, že Marie byla vypočítavá mrcha/blbá kráva (nehodící se škrtněte). Ale není to tak černobílé. V každém případě je v jejích slovech něco, co mi zabraňuje jí věřit. A je to něco, co prohlubuje depresi z promarněných životů, které mohly (ale nemusely) být prožity úplně jinak.

Název románu má v češtině tu výhodu, že odpovídá hned třem významům. Leonard je panic (Innocent). Je to také životem nezkušený, naivní mladík (a vlastně to, jak to nakonec skončí, je především vinou jeho nevyzrálosti). V závěru knihy si pak sám Leonard pohrává s významem nevinný ve smyslu "not guilty".

Pokud se vrátím k hlavnímu důvodu, proč jsem knihu začal číst, tak vězte, že se o životě v Berlíně padesátých let minulého století dozvíte mnoho drobných střípků. Čekal bych sice více, ale i to, co autor nabízí, napomáhá udělat si vlastní obrázek. Co se tajné operace týče, beru ji jen jako pomocný prvek, který určoval důvod pobytu Leonarda v Berlíně. Nečekejte, že byste se dozvěděli něco ze zákulisí CIA nebo SIS (MI6). Už třeba popis, jak Leonard získává prověrky na vyšší stupeň bezpečnosti, je směšný.

S hodnocením mám problém. Kniha v první půlce byla místy až zbytečně rozvláčná, ale to, co Ian McEwan provedl na konci, to na mě silně zapůsobilo. Po dočtení jsem si říkal, že je to skvělá kniha, ale asi se k ní již nebudu chtít vrátit. Teď už vím, budu.

Reading outside my usual genre.
This book is better than the 3* I have given it. But it was a bit gory for my tastes. An interesting story and well told.

Okurken ☆☆ ile ☆☆☆ arasında gidip geldiğim, burada ☆☆½ olsa daha çok bunun karşılığı olduğunu düşündüğüm bir roman oldu. Kendisine tarihi bir olayı merkez almış, onun etrafını kurgusal bir hikâye ile donatmış ama bir türlü karakter, hikâye ve ana tema bütünlüğü oluşturamamış, okurken belli bir heyecan yaratsa da okurun metin ile bütünleşmesini sağlayamayan, yer yer dağınık, kimi karakterlerin ihmal edildiği bir roman aynı zamanda. Bence elbette... Son bölümde roman güçlü bir atmosfer kuruyor ve malum bölümle okuru bayağı sıkıştırıyor, finali ile de romanı toparlamayı başarıyor olsa da genel olarak okumaktan keyif aldığım, içinde kaybolduğum bir roman olmadı Masumiyet ya da Özel İlişki. İlk yarısındaki hızlı diyaloglar, kısa kesik kesik cümleler ve sıçramalar bana ket vurdu okurken. Finalin toparlayıcı etkisi beni ☆☆☆ 'a yaklaştırsa da okur olarak, romanın geneline sirayet eden o kelimeleri ve hikâyeyi, dolayısıyla da okuru koşturan tarzından hoşnut kalmadım.

..e invece non lo è proprio per niente. Ian McEwan è uno degli scrittori della lista di coloro che vorrei conoscere meglio, ma che allo stesso tempo faccio fatica ad inquadrare. Ho già letto Espiazione che mi è piaciuto molto ma a livello intellettuale, soprattutto per i temi proposti, senza appassionarmi davvero. Spulciando nella sua bibliografia trovo spy stories, storie d'amore e di formazione, raccolte di racconti...ho scelto questo soprattutto per l'ambientazione.

La caduta della Germania nazista ed il ruolo delle due Germanie nella conseguente guerra fredda sono un tema che mi intriga assai, ed un romanzo che si ambienta a Berlino negli anni cinquanta, che tratta di una guerra di spie, per di più scritto da un autore che mi interessa conoscere meglio: non potevo non affrontarlo.

Invece niente. Non è né un romanzo storico (la guerra fredda rimane sullo sfondo, la stessa distruzione di Berlino echeggia da lontano come un generico caos post apocalittico, e non irrompe nella storia in tutta la sua drammaticità), e neppure una spy story (veniamo a sapere assai poco dell'organizzazione e del modo di procedere dei servizi segreti alleati nei primi anni della guerra fredda). Con mia grande sorpresa è un romanzo d'amore e di formazione.

Il protagonista Leonard Marnham, rampollo cresciuto nella bambagia della borghesia inglese, è coinvolto suo malgrado in un'operazione segreta in un mondo troppo più grande di lui: verrà suo malgrado costretto a scelte che evidenzieranno in modo drammatico la sua immaturità, e che condurranno a disastri che solo gli ufficiali russi ed americani (a livello politico) ed il tempo ( a livello sentimentale) riusciranno ad arginare.
L' inadeguatezza con la quale Leonard vive la prima avventura sentimentale della sua vita mi ha colpito molto. Sono ragionamenti da preadolescenti messi nella testa di un uomo adulto, un machismo gretto e becero, una supponenza nei confronti della partner che sono tanto più inquietanti quanti si è consapevoli che in ogni uomo è presente la tentazione di ragionare in questo modo. Le conseguenze non possono che essere disastrose.

Lo stesso dicasi per la scarsissima serietà, l'ossessione compulsiva, il pressapochismo con cui l'ufficiale Marnham affronta le colossali responsabilità di un ufficiale a Berlino negli anni cinquanta. Che il futuro del mondo sia stato gestito in modo tanto goffo da persone tanto inadeguate è spaventoso a pensarci, e appare realistico che russi ed americani, tanto nemici a quei tempi, fossero in realtà così tacitamente (tacitamente: sicuri?) concordi e coordinati nel farsi fintamente ingannare in modo che tali e tanti errori non avessero conseguenze.

La scrittura è semplice e piana, ma ancora acerba. Pur mancando una complessità lessicale e sintattica, alle volte ho dovuto rileggere la pagina per capire chi stesse parlando. Il McEwan di Espiazione è davvero tutta un'altra cosa.

Le pagine che raccontano di un Leonard ormai vecchio in contemplazione del Muro, valgono da sole l'intero libro. La maturità del pensiero, il senso di responsabilità, la consapevolezza di sé ci presentano un personaggio così diverso ma allo stesso tempo così compatibile col precedente da lasciare stupiti. Non meraviglia che "lettera a Berlino" sia stato un libro di successo, soprattutto per questo.

Ma per conoscere la Berlino del Crepuscolo degli Dei, per capire gli anni della Guerra penso che dovrò rivolgermi altrove.

*3.75*

I think someone else said it first, but this book is not for the faint of heart. Several chapters are almost disgustingly grisly. Make that totally. And I want to warn you right up front because I was too far in to get out at that point. But ultimately, this is another solid read from Ian McEwan with its plot twists and turns as well as incisive characterizations tossed out in a character's observations, revealing depths of human frailty in a single remark. The protagonist's sexual awakening is as joyful as his later moral lapse is horrifying. To me, McEwan is the real deal. Ending has a slight misstep, but I was grateful for the hint of sentimentality that sneaked in like a lost kitten at the end.

Il danno
Storia di un giovane uomo, da Tottenham a Berlino, da un lavoro ordinario a uno molto speciale, dalla castità alla vita nella sua pienezza, sessuale e relazionale. Mi viene spontaneo il confronto fra il personaggio maschile e quello femminile: il primo introverso e impacciato, vissuto nell’ovatta di una famiglia borghese, poco comunicativo, ancora una crisalide. La donna cresciuta a Berlino sotto i bombardamenti e durante l’occupazione russa, diretta, candida, istintiva e consapevole della vita e delle conseguenze. Arrivati al danno, l’uomo ne è tramortito e vorrebbe dormire, lei lo prega di non lasciarla sola a pensare a una soluzione. Mi verrebbe da dire “duro di cuore e debole di nervi”, non è bello addossare sugli altri la propria parte di responsabilità , anche se ci si è sporcati il tight e anche camicia e scarpe. Le emozioni protagoniste sono quelle dell’uomo, molto intense e realistiche, tali da imporre una battuta di arresto alla ragione e al cuore. Mi è piaciuta la fine che secondo me cambia fortemente il tono della storia. La crisalide si apre (o meglio viene aperta) e lascia indietro orgoglio gelosia e diffidenza , per riprendersi quello che è rimasto fuori: la propria vita, l’età adulta mai cominciata. McEwan, per niente convenzionale, guarda nel fondo delle cose e sostiene lo sguardo.

3.5 stars
First read of 2024 and it was a doozy! I am generally not a McEwan fan and a friend of mine loaned me this book to "change my mind" about this. Here's the thing: I can tell that this is a well-written, tightly plotted novel with a lot of layers. And yet, it was a struggle for me. I found it easy to put down and sometimes had to force myself to pick it up. And also it gets gory. Incredibly gory in a hideously detailed way that goes on for MANY PAGES. When I tell you my stomach started to roil with those descriptions I mean it. The theme of the body in this book is truly rich and interesting but also extremely tough to work through at a certain point (if you've read this, then you KNOW).

To backtrack: this is the story of 25 year-old Leonard Malman, and British officer stationed in Berlin in 1955 on a highly classified (and true) project to tunnel to East Berlin and wiretap the Russians. Leonard is the innocent of the title--he still lives with his parents so this assignment is his first real foray into the world. He's a virgin and has no sense of himself, his views, or his emotions. Even stating he's never had a strong feeling in his life. Thus, Leonard has a lot to prove and this top secret gig enlarges his sense of self while also heightening his insecurity about how others perceive him. He runs through potential responses in conversation to try to land on what will make him seem the most worldly and confident but honestly has no idea how people see him.

Then Maria arrives. She's German, 30 years-old, and divorced. She suffered during the war and sometimes her ex comes around to take her money and beat her up. But in Leonard she finds someone she can guide in life and in the bedroom and she thinks her luck has changed. Here is where the book really shines: the bodily descriptions of being in love and discovering the secrets of your lover's body along with your own. We see this unfold and we see that Leonard is perhaps less innocent than we assumed as he discovers a desire to dominate and intimidate Maria during their most intimate encounters. It goes as you think.

When they reconcile, we think Leonard has grown out of his innocence and into a better sense of himself and Maria's needs. And then something terrible happens and everything gets peeled away: what is innocence, after all? We are all capable of awful things.

For me, the most interesting aspect of this novel is the juxtaposition of bodies in love vs bodies in violence. Both deal with intimacy, fluids, powerful emotions, and heightened awareness but with the most disparate outcomes. McEwan makes this point in minute, often hideous, detail. And indeed I had to skim several paragraphs to make it through but it's an eloquent point all the same.

Yet I never felt that I understood Leonard; did he change, grow, learn? I don't know. And after all that happens in this novel, that feels like a letdown. It all gets explained away in a postscript letter from Maria, but that doesn't enlighten the reader to Leonard's journey at all. Maybe there wasn't one. I'd like to know, though.

This is an odd book which I thoroughly enjoyed. Set in mid 1950's Berlin it is the story of a young Englishman assigned to a joint British-American surveillance team. The mistrust and dislike of allies and comrades in arms is quietly stated but undeniable and there were tongue in cheek descriptions by McEwan of the wonderfully contorted levels of security which purportedly existed so as to preserve the safety and secrecy of the work and yet seemed just to encourage people to seek desperately to outrank and out-secret one another in some sort of Berlin equivalent of Stag rutting.

Leonard Marnham, the hero, begins to enjoy and luxuriate in his new found position not least in the relationship that he forms with a lovely local girl. All seems set fair and the story seems to be pootling along in one fairly straightforward direction with nods and glances towards little offshoot details which the reader thinks are intriguing but not significant and then it all goes horribly wrong and Marnham's secure and well ordered life collapses.

McEwan's description of the lengths to which Marnham is prepared to go to safeguard his position is edge of the seat narrative. The way in which the lovely cosiness of Leonard and Maria is so dramatically damaged is brilliantly described. There is humour and wit and some excellent, simple descriptions at the start of the book but it is about halfway through that there is a startling change of tone brought about by one simple sentence. (If you read the book I would be fascinated if you might be struck by the same sentence but maybe the things that strike us are too personal, too linked to who we are at the time of reading for there to be such universal response).

Nevertheless everything changes and the book morphs from a simple romance/spy/intrigue/innocent abroad to something much more sinister and unsettling. The movement is not jarring though it is dramatic but from that moment all changes and every relationship is remoulded and remade. The book is relatively short and there is a Postscript which perfectly completes the novel. At first reading I thought it might be a bit too perfect and rounded but no, McEwan, in my opinion, pitches it wonderfully.

A great book, well worth a delve into. And I closed the covers with a satisfied heart.

A spy story with a twist of comedy and macabre. The plot revolves around a factual Operation Gold, where a tunnel into East Berlin was used to tap telephone lines used by the Soviet military.

A young telephone technician, Leonard Marnham, is sent to Berlin to work with the British and American authorities to install the monitoring equipment in the tunnel. His boss, an American Bob Glass, obsessed with security, befriends the young man and helps him during his stay.
Leonard meets and falls in love with Maria Eckdorf, a divorced German woman. The story turns into a macabre when Maria's ex-husband, Otto, turns out and assaults the pair. He is killed, dismembered and his body hidden inside the tunnel. Leonard travels to East zone and attempts to inform the Soviet Intelligence about the tunnel, to prevent his colleagues from discovering the body. They raid the tunnel and the whole operation is stopped.

Leonard and Maria's relationship seems about to fall apart due to the strain of dismembering Otto's body, and both appear relieved when Leonard decides to go back to England for a short time. Just as his plane is about to take off he sees Maria and Bob Glass together on the roof of the airport terminal. Convinced from this that they are having an affair Leonard decides it is over between Maria and himself, having already been suspicious of them for some time.

More than thirty years later, Leonard finds a letter from Maria and learns that his suspicions about her and Bob were unfounded and that Bob found out about Otto and helped cover for the killing with the German police. The tunnel was betrayed by Leonard's neighbour, a real life MI6 agent George Blake, who worked for Soviet Intelligences as well, having been captured during the war in Korea.

This.. was just a really disgusting book, on so many levels. There's a lot to be said (and very little of it good) for a novel in which every character is genuinely dis likable. Leonard is self-obsessed and pathetically ignorant as opposed to innocent. McEwan tries to make the point that he transforms throughout the book but he really doesn't. He is the same selfish and irresponsible little man thrown amidst matters that are much bigger than him, yet he handles them with regards only to his own immediate wants and needs. His love for Maria revolves around how good it feels to receive attention from a beautiful girl for the first time rather than actually being in love with another human being - Maria is an object and a tool for him, an object which he readily abuses and then, like a whipped dog, whimpers and whines when he is reprimanded for trying to tear up his toy. Maria herself is a very superficial woman, heartless in her ability to fall in and out of love extraordinarily quickly. When she describes how much she loves Leonard, it is wholly unfitting to her character otherwise. The tunnel and its eventual destruction showed us Americans that might as well have been good-natured, overgrown toddlers (though, being an American who has lived in Berlin, this isn't exactly inaccurate). The British are comically self-serving and incompetent. The operation itself was convoluted because the presentation was too technical and cumbersome.

AND THEN McEwan just throws in there a murder and the repugnant hacking apart of a human corpse, complete with what I imagine to be very realistic descriptions of the horrific details. I know McEwan himself says he regrets writing that scene and, honestly, I'm going to have to agree with him on that one. It was unnecessary and everything that happened afterwards was lost on me. I was distressed on behalf of the two suitcases that Leonard could not manage to get rid of and the disintegrating relationship (if you can even call it that) between Leonard and Maria but, primarily, I was still preoccupied with how the slimy gray brain matter had spilled from the corpse's head onto Leonard's shoes I mean COME ON. Unfitting for a novel that promised us something else up until that point.

The postscript may have been meant as a redeeming note but it only revealed that, after all of that and all the years that went unwritten, Leonard is still immature and unthinkably selfish. Maria's love is easy come, easy go. And Glass, poor Bob Glass, will always be the easily fooled American.

On a very personal note, what was enjoyable about this read was the evolving description of the great city of Berlin. Heartbreaking (or healing, perhaps?) to see the transformation of the actual street I lived on, which is where Maria is to have lived. Berlin, you may be poor but you are sexy (always).

Общото във всички книги на Иън Макюън е въпросът за непоносимата тежест на отговорността за собствените решения, стоварилите се като съдба обстоятелства – резултат от тези избори и човешката слабост да погледнеш истината в очите когато е толкова уютно да се сгушиш във въпроса „Защо на мен ми се случва това? Не съм виновен!“
И в тази история, също като в Черните кучета, злото е вътре в нас, латентно и подаващо главица изпод завивката на доброто възпитание в моменти на интимност или на надвиснала опасност. Веднъж е на шега. Друг път е неизбежна самоотбрана. А така ли е? Благовъзпитаният и почти безлично скучен английски служител от пощите Ленард бързо преминава по пътя от стеснителен девственик, през експериментиращ насилник до почти хладнокръвен убиец и предател, но все подтикван от обстоятелствата и сякаш без да е отговорен за постъпките си. Макюън виртуозно разчепква психологията на героите си и създава ослепително истински, достоверни образи. Опустошително ни навира огледалото в лицето. Това е усещането с този автор.
И тук, както в останалите му романи, Макюън е предал сетивно атмосферата на времето, в което се разгръща историята, а именно Берлин от 1955-та, Берлин на съюзническите зони, предвестници на Стената с очерталите се вече противоречия не само по линия „изток-запад“, но и между англичани и американци.
Краят е колкото неочакван, толкова и логичен.