Why should you read Edgar Allan Poe? - Scott Peeples

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

A high forehead topped by disheveled black hair,

Visoko čelo uokvireno razbarušenom crnom kosom,

a sickly pallor,

bolećivo bledilo

and a look of deep intelligence and deeper exhaustion

i pogled produhovljene inteligencije i još dublje iscrpljenosti

in his dark, sunken eyes.

u njegovim tamnim, umornim očima.

Edgar Allan Poe’s image is not just instantly recognizable –

Pojava Edgara Alana Poa nije samo trenutno prepoznatljiva -

it’s perfectly suited to his reputation.

ona i savršeno pristaje njegovoj reputaciji.

From the prisoner strapped under a descending pendulum blade,

Od zatvorenika vezanog ispod klatećeg sečiva u padu

to a raven who refuses to leave the narrator’s chamber,

do gavrana koji odbija da napusti pripovedačeve odaje,

Poe’s macabre and innovative stories of gothic horror

Poove jezive i inovativne priče gotskog horora

have left a timeless mark on literature.

ostavile su bezvremeni trag u književnosti.

But just what is it that makes Edgar Allan Poe

Međutim, zbog čega je tačno Edgar Alan Po

one of the greatest American authors?

jedan od najvećih američkih pisaca?

After all, horror was a popular genre of the period,

Naposletku, horor je bio popularan žanr u to vreme

with many practitioners.

i mnogi su ga praktikovali.

Yet Poe stood out thanks to his careful attention to form and style.

Ipak, Po se izdvojio zahvaljujući brižljivoj posvećenosti obliku i stilu.

As a literary critic,

Kao književni kritičar,

he identified two cardinal rules for the short story form:

identifikovao je dva glavna pravila za oblik kratke priče:

it must be short enough to read in one sitting,

mora da bude dovoljno kratka da se pročita bez prekida

and every word must contribute to its purpose.

i svaka reč mora da doprinese njenoj svrsi.

By mastering these rules,

Savladavši ova pravila,

Poe commands the reader’s attention

Po je upravljao čitaočevom pažnjom

and rewards them with an intense and singular experience –

i nagrađivao ga je intenzivnim i jedinstvenim iskustvom -

what Poe called the unity of effect.

onim što je Po nazivao jedinstvom utiska.

Though often frightening, this effect goes far beyond fear.

Iako je često zastrašujući, ovaj utisak uveliko premašuje strah.

Poe’s stories use violence and horror to explore the paradoxes and mysteries

Poove priče koriste nasilje i užas kako bi istraživale paradokse i tajne

of love,

ljubavi,

grief,

patnje

and guilt,

i krivice,

while resisting simple interpretations or clear moral messages.

istovremeno se opirući prostim tumačenjima ili jasnim moralnim porukama.

And while they often hint at supernatural elements,

A iako često nagoveštavaju natprirodne pojave,

the true darkness they explore is the human mind

istinska tama koju istražuju je ljudski um

i njegova sklonost ka samouništenju.

and its propensity for self-destruction.

U „Izdajničkom srcu”, jezivo ubistvo

In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a ghastly murder

is juxtaposed with the killer’s tender empathy towards the victim –

je predstavljeno naspram ubicinoj dirljivoj empatiji prema žrtvi,

a connection that soon returns to haunt him.

što je veza koja se brzo vraća da ga progoni.

The title character of "Ligeia" returns from the dead

Naslovni lik iz „Ligeje” se vraća iz mrtvih

through the corpse of her husband’s second wife –

kroz leš druge supruge njenog muža -

or at least the opium-addicted narrator thinks she does.

ili bar tako misli pripovedač koji je zavisnik od opijuma.

And when the protagonist of “William Wilson”

A kada se protagonista „Vilijama Vilsona”

violently confronts a man he believes has been following him,

nasilno suoči sa čovekom za koga veruje da ga prati,

he might just be staring at his own image in a mirror.

možda on prosto zuri u sopstveni odraz u ogledalu.

Through his pioneering use of unreliable narrators,

Pionirskom upotrebom nepouzdanih pripovedača,

Poe turns readers into active participants

Po je preobraćao čitaoce u aktivne učesnike

who must decide when a storyteller might be misinterpreting

koji moraju da odluče kada pripovedač možda pogrešno tumači

or even lying about the events they’re relating.

ili čak laže o događajima o kojima govori.

Although he’s best known for his short horror stories,

Iako je najpoznatiji po svojim kratkim horor pričama,

Poe was actually one of the most versatile

Po je zapravo bio jedan od najsvestranijih

and experimental writers of the nineteenth century.

i najeksperimentalnijih pisaca devetnaestog veka.

He invented the detective story as we know it,

Izumeo je detektivsku priču kakvu znamo

with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,”

sa „Ubistvima u ulici Morg”,

followed by “The Mystery of Marie Roget”

praćenim „Misterijom Mari Rože”

and “The Purloined Letter.”

i „Ukradenim pismom”.

All three feature the original armchair detective,

Sve tri imaju prvobitnog salonskog detektiva,

C. Auguste Dupin,

Ogasta Dipena,

who uses his genius and unusual powers of observation and deduction

koji koristi svoju ingenioznost i neobične moći opservacije i dedukcije

to solve crimes that baffle the police.

da bi rešio zločine koji zbunjuju policiju.

Poe also wrote satires of social and literary trends,

Po je takođe pisao satire na društvene i književne trendove

and hoaxes that in some cases anticipated science fiction.

i burleske koje su u nekim slučajevima naslućivale naučnu fantastiku.

Those included an account of a balloon voyage to the moon,

One su uključivale pripovest o putovanju balonom na mesec

and a report of a dying patient put into a hypnotic trance

i izveštaj o pacijentu na samrti koji je stavljen u hipnotični trans

so he could speak from the other side.

kako bi progovorio s druge strane.

Poe even wrote an adventure novel about a voyage to the South Pole

Po je čak napisao avanturistički roman o putovanju na Južni pol,

and a treatise on astrophysics,

kao i raspravu o astrofizici,

all while he worked as an editor,

sve to radeći kao urednik,

producing hundreds of pages of book reviews and literary theory.

stvarajući na stotine stranica književnih recenzija i književne teorije.

An appreciation of Poe’s career wouldn’t be complete without his poetry:

Divljenje prema Poovoj karijeri ne bi bilo potpuno bez njegove poezije:

haunting and hypnotic.

opčinjavajuće i hipnotične.

His best-known poems are songs of grief, or in his words,

Njegove najpoznatije poeme su pesme o patnji ili, njegovim rečima,

“mournful and never-ending remembrance.”

„tegobnom i beskonačnom pamćenju”.

“The Raven,” in which the speaker projects his grief onto a bird

„Gavran” u kome lirski subjekat projektuje svoju patnju na pticu

who merely repeats a single sound,

koja ponavlja jednu jedinu reč

made Poe famous.

učinila je Poa poznatim.

But despite his literary success,

No, uprkos njegovom književnom uspehu,

Poe lived in poverty throughout his career,

Po je živeo u siromaštvu tokom svoje karijere,

and his personal life was often as dark as his writing.

a njegov privatni život je često bio mračan koliko i njegova dela.

He was haunted by the loss of his mother and his wife,

Proganjao ga je gubitak majke i supruge

who both died of tuberculosis at the age of 24.

koje su obe umrle od tuberkuloze sa 24 godine.

Poe struggled with alcoholism

Po se mučio s alkoholizmom

and frequently antagonized other popular writers.

i često dolazio u sukob sa drugim popularnim piscima.

Much of his fame came from posthumous – and very loose – adaptations of his work.

Njegova slava mahom potiče od posthumnih i veoma labavih adaptacija njegovih dela.

And yet, if he could’ve known how much pleasure and inspiration

Pa ipak, da je mogao da zna koliko će užitka i inspiracije

his writing would bring to generations of readers and writers alike,

njegovo pisanje da donese generacijama njemu sličnih čitalaca i pisaca,

perhaps it may have brought a smile to that famously brooding visage.

možda bi to donelo osmeh na taj čuveni tužni lik.