One of the most banned books of all time - Mollie Godfrey

Prevodilac: Una Kavazović Lektor: Milenka Okuka

In 1998, a Maryland school district removed one of American literature’s

Godine 1998, školski distrikt u Merilendu uklonio je jedno od najcenjenijih dela

most acclaimed works from its curriculum.

američke književnosti iz svog studijskog programa.

Parents pushing for the ban said the book

Roditelji iza te ideje govore da je knjiga

was both “sexually explicit” and “anti-white.”

i „seksualno eksplicitna” i „rasistička prema belcima.”

Following an outcry from other parents and teachers,

Nakon protesta drugih roditelja i nastavnika,

the decision was eventually reversed.

odluka je naposletku povučena.

But this was neither the first nor the last attack

Ali ovo nije bio ni prvi, niti poslednji napad

on Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.”

na knjigu Maje Anđelou „Znam zašto ptica u kavezu peva”.

Few books have been challenged more often than Angelou's memoir.

Tek nekolicina knjiga je napadana češće od memoara Maje Anđelou.

And while book banning decisions typically aren’t made

I dok se odluke o zabrani knjige obično ne donose

at the state or national level,

na državnom ili nacionalnom nivou,

most of the schools and libraries that have banned Angelou’s book

većina škola i biblioteka koje su zabranile ovu knjigu

have given similar reasons.

su dale slično obrazloženje.

Most commonly, they argue that the memoir’s account of sexual assault

Najčešće su tvrdili da je prikaz seksualnog napastvovanja

and the violence of US racism are inappropriate for young readers.

i nasilja američkog rasizma u memoarima neprikladan za mlađe čitaoce.

But these concerns miss the point of Angelou’s story,

Ali ove brige maše poentu priče Maje Anđelou,

which uses these very themes to explore the danger of censorship

koja koristi upravo ove teme da istraži opasnosti cenzurisanja

and silence in the lives of young people.

i tišine u životima mladih ljudi.

Published in 1969, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”

Objavljena 1969. godine, „Znam zašto ptica u kavezu peva”

traces the author’s childhood growing up poor, Black and female in the southern US.

prati odrastanje spisateljice kao siromašne crnkinje na jugu SAD-a.

Central to the narrative is Angelou’s experience of being sexually assaulted

Ključni deo njene pripovesti je iskustvo seksualnog napastvovanja

when she was seven and a half years old.

kada je imala sedam i po godina.

Surrounded by adults who consider the subject too taboo to discuss,

Okružena odraslima koji smatraju ovu temu prevelikim tabuom za razgovor,

Angelou decides that she is to blame.

Anđelou odlučuje da je ona kriva.

And when she finally identifies her abuser in court,

A kada napokon prepozna svog zlostavljača na sudu,

he is killed by vigilantes.

ubijaju ga osvetnici.

Angelou believes her voice is responsible for his death,

Anđelou veruje da je njen glas odgovoran za njegovu smrt,

and for six years, she stops speaking almost entirely.

i narednih šest godina, prestaje skoro potpuno da govori.

The book chronicles Angelou’s journey to rediscover her voice,

Knjiga beleži njen put ka ponovnom otkrivanju svog glasa,

all while exploring the pain and misplaced shame

istražujući bol i pogrešan osećaj sramote

that emerges from avoiding uncomfortable realities.

koji se javlja zbog izbegavanja neprijatnih stvarnosti.

The memoir’s narrative voice expertly blends her childhood confusion

Narativni glas memoara precizno kombinuje zbunjenost detinjstva

with her adult understanding,

sa njenim odraslim razumevanjem,

offering the reader insights Angelou was deprived of as a child.

nudeći čitaocu uvide kojih je Anđelou sama bila lišena kao dete.

She connects her early experiences of being silenced and shamed

Ona povezuje svoja rana iskustva ućutkavanja i ponižavanja

to the experience of being poor and Black in the segregated United States.

sa tim kako je biti siromašna crnkinja u segregiranom SAD-u.

“The Black female,” she writes,

„Crnkinja”, ona piše,

“is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice,

„je uhvaćena u trostranoj unakrsnoj vatri muških predrasuda,

white illogical hate, and Black lack of power.”

bele nelogične mržnje i nedostatka crne moći.”

Her autobiography was one of the first books

Njena autobiografija je jedna od prvih knjiga

to speak openly about child sexual abuse,

koja je otvoreno govorila o seksualnom zlostavljanju dece,

and especially groundbreaking to do so from the perspective of the abused child.

a revolucionarno je što je to činila iz perspektive zlostavljanog deteta.

For centuries, Black women writers had been limited by stereotypes

Vekovima, spisateljice crnkinje su bile ograničene stereotipima

characterizing them as hypersexual.

koji su ih karakterisali hiperseksualnim.

Afraid of reinforcing these stereotypes,

Uplašene da će doprineti tim stereotipima,

few were willing to write about their sexuality at all.

nekolicina je bila voljna da piše uopšte o svojoj seksualnosti.

But Angelou refused to be constrained.

Međutim, Anđelou je odbijala da bude sputana.

She publicly explored her most personal experience,

Javno je istraživala svoja najličnija iskustva,

without apology or shame.

bez pardona ili sramote.

This spirit of defiance charges her writing with a sense of hope

Duh otpora ispunjava njeno pisanje osećajem nade

that combats the memoir’s often traumatic subject matter.

koja se bori protiv često traumatičnih tema u memoarima.

When recalling how a fellow student defied instructions not to sing

Kada se priseća kako je jedan đak prkosio naredbama da ne peva

the Black National Anthem in the presence of white guests,

nacionalnu himnu crnaca u prisustvu gostiju belaca,

she writes, “The tears that slipped down many faces were not wiped away in shame.

ona piše, „Suze koje su potekle niz mnoga lica nisu brisane u sramoti.

We were on top again... We survived.”

Ponovo smo bili na vrhu... Preživeli smo.”

Angelou’s memoir was published amidst the Civil Rights and Black Power movements,

Njeni memoari su objavljeni u sred pokreta za građanska prava i crne moći,

when activists were calling for school curricula

kada su aktivisti zahtevali školski program

that reflected the diversity of experiences in the US.

koji bi oslikavao diverzitet iskustava u SAD-u.

But almost as soon as the book appeared in schools, it was challenged.

Ali gotovo odmah čim se knjiga pojavila u školama, naišla je na otpor.

Campaigns to control lesson plans surged across America in the 1970s and 80s.

Kampanje kontrolisanja školskih programa izniču sedamdesetih i osamdesetih u SAD-u.

On the American Library Association’s list

Lista Američkog bibliotekarskog udruženja

of most frequently banned or challenged books,

prikazuje najčešće zabranjivane ili preispitivane knjige,

“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” remained near the top for two decades.

gde je „Znam zašto ptica u kavezu peva” ostala pri vrhu čak dve decenije.

But parents, students, and educators have consistently fought back

Ali roditelji, studenti i nastavnici su konstantno uzvraćali udarac

in support of the memoir.

i podržavali ove memoare.

And by 2013, it had become the second most taught non-fiction text

I do 2013. godine, postaju drugi najpredavaniji tekst nefikcije

in US high school English classes.

na časovima engleskog u američkim školama.

When asked how she felt about writing one of the most banned books, Angelou said,

Na to kako se oseća što je napisala jednu od najčešće zabranjenih knjiga, rekla je:

“I find that people who want my book banned have never read

„Smatram da ljudi koji žele zabraniti moju knjigu nikada nisu pročitali

a paragraph of my writing,

ni pasus mog pisanja,

but have heard that I write about a rape.

ali su čuli da pišem o silovanju.

They act as if their children are not faced with the same threats.

Ponašaju se kao da se njihova deca ne susreću sa istim opasnostima.

And that’s terrible.”

I to je užasno.”

She believed that children who are old enough to be the victims

Verovala je da su deca koja su dovoljno stara da budu žrtve

of sexual abuse and racism are old enough to read about these subjects.

seksualnog zlostavljanja i rasizma dovoljno stara i da čitaju o tome.

Because listening and learning are essential to overcoming,

Jer su slušanje i učenje ključni za prevazilaženje,

and the unspeakable is far more dangerous when left unspoken.

a ono neizrecivo je mnogo opasnije kada je neizrečeno.