The journey to the end of the world under the sign of reconciliation with oneself and the world

Abstract

The novella Cînd Nu mai ai pe Cine să Îmbrățișezi [When you have no one to hug], by Răzvan Brudiu, offers a wild and isolated image of a hamlet in the Apuseni Mountains, where old Joseph lives in solitude, strengthened by the power of faith, waiting for the last road to eternity. In the volume we can identify a dialogical construction on the waiting theme, under the sign of silence. If Joseph speaks, it is to banish loneliness, as rarely does anyone cross his threshold, so that in the narrative ego his words and gestures provoke deep meditations on existence. The profile of the central hero is gradually built up through simplicity, modesty, and natural gestures, contrasting with the erudition of the theologian who constantly feels the need to refer to various passages in the Bible, to church events and services, to quotations from the writings of saints or famous writers, etc. Two different worlds emerge from the dialogue between the two protagonists, that of the city, where life is full of daily hassles and worries, where people judge things with a ‘correct’ mind, and the world of old Joseph, for whom time has already become ‘eternity’. These worlds, symbolically confronted, generate meaningful images. The 90-year-old man serenely looks towards death, aware that he does not have much more to expect from life and wishing to be reunited with his wife. He leads a simple life, but his prayer, uttered without worrying about tomorrow, generates in his heart love and longing for the Creator. For him, the end of the world is, in fact, the meeting with God, and everything he does since his wife’s death is a preparation for reaching the final goal, thus becoming an example for everyone who believes in eternal life.