Stranci u svom / Strangers in Their Own Space

Abstract

Using the example of two novels by Dževad Karahasan, The Night Council and Introduction to Floating, this paper provides a comparative analysis of the characters of Simon Mihailović and Peter Hurd in relation to the figure of the stranger, who is searching for parts of his being in a dislocated space. Considering the spiral structure of both novels and the intertextual connections with Dante’s Divine Comedy, this paper uses a comparative approach to discuss the treatment and role of the guide through the different types of “hell” which the characters experience. Along with the question of artistic motivation and the motivational system of a literary work, the work analyzes and problematizes the relationship of the characters to situations. In addition, the paper questions the literary constructions through which the characters move in getting to know themselves. Through the comparison of the characters of Simon Mihailović and Peter Hurd, this paper questions Mihailović’s and Hurd’s relationship with their guides through “hell”, Enver Pilav and Rajko Šurup. Using a comparative approach to analyse the characters of the strangers in two novels by Dževad Karahasan, this paper shows different relationships to the same phenomenon, as well as different ways of manifesting the intertextual connection.