The proposed essay aims to analyse the short story Stairway to Heaven by Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon, first published as a contribution to The New Yorker magazine in 2006 and later included in the collection Love and Obstacles (2009). The story, centred on the delusional experiences of a Sarajevan teenager vacationing with his family in a tourist complex in Kinshasa during the early 1980s, accompanies its reflection about adolescence and loss of innocence with a critical perspective on Westerners’ simplistic attitude towards postcolonial Africa and its inhabitants; as the main character perceives his feelings divided between loyalty to his father (a down-to-earth Yugoslav diplomat stationing in Congo) and admiration for the easygoing American neighbour Spinelli, he seems also to become more conscious of the latter’s racist superficiality. Our commentary will focus on the gradual dismantling of the protagonist’s initial stereotypical visions both of adult life and Africa. From this perspective we intend to analyse the story’s references to Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, considering also the comparison some critics made between Hemon's and Conrad’s careers as exophonic writers. We will also interpret the story as an ironic remembrance of socialist Yugoslavia’s diplomatic efforts in the so-called Third World before its own breakup.
"Straight out of Conrad". Africa and Adolescence in Aleksandar Hemon’s short story Stairway to Heaven
Davanzo, Enrico Maria Sebastiano
2023-01-01
Abstract
The proposed essay aims to analyse the short story Stairway to Heaven by Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon, first published as a contribution to The New Yorker magazine in 2006 and later included in the collection Love and Obstacles (2009). The story, centred on the delusional experiences of a Sarajevan teenager vacationing with his family in a tourist complex in Kinshasa during the early 1980s, accompanies its reflection about adolescence and loss of innocence with a critical perspective on Westerners’ simplistic attitude towards postcolonial Africa and its inhabitants; as the main character perceives his feelings divided between loyalty to his father (a down-to-earth Yugoslav diplomat stationing in Congo) and admiration for the easygoing American neighbour Spinelli, he seems also to become more conscious of the latter’s racist superficiality. Our commentary will focus on the gradual dismantling of the protagonist’s initial stereotypical visions both of adult life and Africa. From this perspective we intend to analyse the story’s references to Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, considering also the comparison some critics made between Hemon's and Conrad’s careers as exophonic writers. We will also interpret the story as an ironic remembrance of socialist Yugoslavia’s diplomatic efforts in the so-called Third World before its own breakup.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
