Novel
Róbert Milbacher’s new novel chronicles the life of a woman who had faced great physical and mental suffering, yet never had time to reflect. This book also chronicles a short-lived settlement in Slavonia (now East Croatia), founded in the 1860’s only to disappear without a trace in the onslaught of World War II.
The chapters present an alternating storyline, of a 19th-century village history from founding days to abandonment, with even-numbered chapters following the story of the author’s grandmother, progressing from her deathbed back to the enchanted world of her childhood days. Besides a rural community’s everyday pursuit of a better life, we also are confronted with a Hungarian-German ethnic family’s tribulations. Milbacher writes about people who do not shape history, but are burdened by it, even as each generation rekindles the hope for a better and fairer life, despite their hopes being dashed over and over.
A fragmented story is outlined in medical reports, archived documents, family anecdotes, awkward secrets, and word-of-mouth beliefs. With personal involvement and a solid historical background, the author portrays life and society from a vanished time, a world that paradoxically managed to live on in the impulsive reactions and choices of future generations. Róbert Milbacher vividly describes photos, and turns toward his parents’ and grandparents’ generations with an empathy that often brings to mind the novels of Annie Ernaux. A master of narrative, he is an author engaged in the individual and collective fates, struggles and coping mechanisms of people caught in ideological crossfire. Bitter Waters is a deeply personal and cathartic book.
The legendary life of a grandmother
Product details
ISBN: 978 963 14 4275 5
2023, paperback
464 pages, 5999 HUF
Magvető Rights 
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