The questions of truth, justice, and time seem to engulf my readings lately. This post is more about how the fictional parts (books) and real parts (news) come together. Polanski being an artist knows this strange feeling all too well. Can he get a fair trial, and what is the effect of time? What part would the topics of his films play in the juries minds?
I find it fascinating how one’s interest is drawn uncontrollably
to some subjects in life on given periods. I have this books of short stories
by Pirandello I like to leaf through some evenings and my attention was drawn
to the short story “
The truth,” where questions of a trial and truth come up. (I talked about it already in the post about the story).
Some days later, I was just reading an article
in the Israeli newspaper relating the scandal around Kafka’s manuscripts that are
kept by the daughters of the late mistress of Kafka’s closest friend Max Brod-
apparently, just before Kafka’s death, he gave these manuscripts to Brod and
made him promise that he will burn them. Brod then came to Israel and (luckily
for us) did not keep his promise and published some of Kafka’s work later.
However, he did not publish them all, and left the rest in the hands of his
mistress. Before his death, a similar but opposite scene- he asked her to go on
and publish the rest, and give the manuscripts to the national library where
they would be safely kept and be the object of literary studies. This promise
wasn’t kept either, and now the mistress’s daughters (she died too by now) are
in the middle of a trial with the state and different libraries (after selling
in private auctions important manuscripts). How ironic that this should be the
destiny of Kafka’s writings.
A few days after reading this article, I was taking a walk
which brought me to my favorite library and naturally my attention was caught
by Kafka’s novel “The trial.” From what I’ve read up till now, it is more a
trial one could find in one’s dreams, and yet it is both very real and
pertinent, the irrational and injustice leading and from all that emerging a
self trial and questioning about one’s decisions and choices.
Now reading about
Roman Polanski’s arrest in Zurich. He was going there to get a prize in honor
of his work and achievements and instead he was faced with the most dishonoring
of charges and is facing a trial. As in trials, nobody knows if he is guilty or
not, but it is a question whether his contribution to art and to the world
should exempt him, or not. Does time and other deeds redeem a person?
Books Discussed
Films Discussed
