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Dubravka Ugresic (1949- )
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Dubravka Ugrešić (1949– ) Another writer hounded from her homeland as a result of her opposition to the 1991–95 war in Croatia, Ugrešić found refuge and attentive ears abroad. She had established a solid reputation for herself in Yugoslavia both as a writer for children and scholar of modern Russian literature. Her literary prose, some of which was very popular in her homeland, focused in part on the problems of women in society. She now lives in Amsterdam. The following is an excerpt from her 1981 story, ”Štefica Cvek u raljama života,” translated as In the Jaws of Life, by Celia Hawkesworth and Michael Henry Heim (London: Virago Press, 1992): 43–45. An Anthology of Croatian Literature 304 In the Jaws of Life (Excerpt) Emancipated Ella Advises Steffie Speck (Kick Pleating) If you want your nail polish to last longer, brush your nails with egg white the moment the polish dries. “I can’t stand typical women!” Emancipated Ella shouted, shaking her head vigorously and placing a cigarette in an ivory holder. “Yes?” said Steffie absently, her head cocked to one side. A carved Buddha smiled out of Ella’s cigarette holder. “A present from Fred!” Ella remarked, following Steffie’s gaze. “What makes a woman typical?” Steffie asked. “Don’t pretend you don’t understand!” said Emancipated Ella. “You’re not far off yourself! Why, those ninnies who snivel all the time, drape themselves all over men, suffocate them, manipulate them, and just because God has given them—holes!” (Isn’t she crude! Steffie thought. Ella nervously waved her cigarette holder about and ran a hand through her curly hair. Isn’t she curly! Steffie thought.) “Yes!” said Ella. “Mercifully, there are fewer and fewer of them. What a woman really needs is to work, to breathe life in as deeply as she can, and keep in mind that men are not the only thing in the world!” “Marianna thinks they are,” said Steffie quietly. “Marianna’s a ninny, a twit who believes that by marrying that drip she’s stepped onto cloud nine!” “Yes, but…” “There is no ‘yes, but!’” Ella snapped, shaking her curls angrily. “I can see that she’s stuffed you as full of her blueprints for life as a stuffed goose!” “Marianna’s all right. When I got depressed, she tried to help me,” said Steffie, trying to smooth things over. “Ha!” Emancipated Ella snorted, raising her cigarette holder like a flag. “I can just imagine! She told you to find a man! And it didn’t work. And now you’re in worse shit than before.” “How do you know?” “I know! I know everything! I know your souls, the way you breathe! Of course it didn't work! It couldn't have!” “How do you mean?” [44.192.73.68] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 14:19 GMT) Dubravka Ugrešić 305 “Simple. You seized on a man as the last hope. It’s written all over your face. You’re the kind who falls in love on the spot, the minute someone in the street asks you the time!” “Then what should I do?” Steffie drooped. “Live, for God’s sake! Work! Read! When did you last read a book?” Steffie was silent. “When did you last go to an exhibition?” Emancipated Ella asked, pointing her ivory cigarette holder at Steffie. Steffie was about to say that she never went to exhibitions at all, but Ella went on mercilessly, “And the theatre? Confess you haven’t been to the theatre for ages. Oh, you stupid, limited, sexual slaves! All you can think about is catching a man! You’re a bunch of hens, scratching about, making nests! There’s another world out there. Go for walks, read, make friends, take a course, travel… Learn a language. French, for instance. Life is so interesting!” Emancipated Ella talked and talked. Steffie blushed and blushed. How right she was! How clever she was! Steffie and Ella ordered two more coffees. Ella sighed, slurped a mouthful and dragged her hand through her curly hair. Then she cast an eye all around, waved her hand and made an invisible dot in the air with her cigarette holder. Steffie breathed a sigh of relief, though she did not know why. “Have you heard I’m getting married?” said Ella. “Again?” Steffie was amazed. She quickly added, “Who to?” “Fred!” Ella offered no details. According to Steffie’s calculations, Fred was the fifth. (Incredible! she thought...