Suddenly In The Depths Of The Forest (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Mi madre se preocupaba mucho cuando yo era niño. De su boca escuché por primera vez la palabra misantropía al momento en que me pidió, casi rogándome, que saliera de casa. Yo vivía todo el tiempo en mi cuarto leyendo libros, cómics y dibujando en hojas tamaño carta escenas de un final nuclear entre Estados Unidos y la Unión Soviética. En una acción desesperada, decidió convencerme de una socialización necesaria y me hizo ver cómo los miércoles en la biblioteca de la ciudad hacían una reunión que se llamaba “la hora de lectura”. Fui casi a regañadientes, pero esa salida a la biblioteca me encerró aún más. Las lecturas que hacían me parecían simples, las voces que repetían los renglones y mostraban los dibujos eran –en opinión de esa época- efectistas. Al menos encontré a Tintín que me sacó de esa modorra y me llevó a volver a la biblioteca. Igual, los intentos de socialización por la biblioteca terminaron en un llamado a mi madre por parte de un par de preocupados psicólogos (pero, como dice Ende, esa es otra historia y la contaré en otro momento). Ahora, regreso a muchos de esos libros infantiles gracias a un pequeñín de tres años (un saludo Matías), los cuales le leo maravillado. Ahora comprendo los diferentes niveles de lectura, ahora sé que los libros no eran efectistas, el efectista era yo. Entonces deseo tener esos cinco o seis años de nuevo y sentirme sorprendido. Aunque sé que ya no es posible. Pero hay sensaciones que se acercan mucho; sensaciones como la que produce la lectura de “De Repente en lo Profundo del Bosque” de Amos Oz.Al autor Israelí lo había escuchado muchas veces, principalmente vinculado al premio Nobel. Miraba sus libros en ventas de segunda pero nunca recordaba comprar uno. Hasta que, por raras coincidencias que no voy a explicar aquí, resulté con “De repente en lo oscuro del bosque”. Nunca imaginé que me encontraría con un libro infantil. La literatura infantil ha sido subvalorada por la academia y la crítica; casi siempre se la ha utilizado para observar las estructuras y las morfologías (y que no lo niegue don Vladimir Propp); pero no se ha observado su valor estético y literario. El hecho que Oz recupere un lenguaje y una estética infantil para mostrar el problema profundo de la memoria histórica, pone a este libro en un nivel diferente. Lo que Oz logra en este libro es combinar una profundidad conceptual con una cualidad interesante de los libros infantiles: la argumentación sencilla. Una de las particularidades de los libros dirigidos a niños es que las argumentaciones no pueden ser armadas de manera compleja y difícil (imaginen un libro infantil escrito por Kant, por ejemplo); dicha forma argumentativa ha producido literatura fácil y rápidamente olvidable (imaginen ahora una literatura medieval desplazada a un mago adolescente al que llamaremos aleatoriamente Harry), pero Oz logra darle una densidad a esas argumentaciones simples. Me explico. En la actualidad, tanto el lenguaje, como la simplicidad de las tramas en los libros infantiles y adolescentes es casi que una obligatoriedad (no era así antes, Lewis Carroll lo demostró); desde ese punto de aparente simplicidad, Oz aborda el problema de la memoria histórica, el trato con los animales, la pérdida de un ser cercano, el valor del otro como individuo, lo simbólico-social del silencio, la diferencia entre norma creada y norma necesaria, etc. Lo que hace Oz es darle un peso específico a lo infantil, y lo logra manejando dos extremos: la inocencia pura versus la experiencia corrompida, lo que lleva a la pregunta específica (y real por lo inocente) versus el ocultamiento vergonzante de la verdad. El uso de lo infantil como base también permite a Oz manejar diálogos sencillos y fuertes (dado que se enmarcan en esa dupla contrastante de la que hablamos); y personajes que bien pueden plantearse como personajes-tesis. Los personajes están muy bien establecidos y descritos (otro de los requerimientos propios de lo infantil): La maestra, El pescador, La panadera; esto hace que el desarrollo mismo de la historia produzca elementos que algunos podrían describir como clichés, pero que enmarcan el relato en un mundo propio y muy bien concebido. Los dos personajes centrales: Mati y Maya, tienen todo lo necesario para ser unos héroes prototípicos: pasan de la cobardía a la valentía, de las preguntas sencillas a las respuestas complejas, del silencio al grito devastador. Las imágenes llevan el texto como un río que fluye (descripción que se encuentra al final de los diez primeros capítulos) y el lenguaje es el indicado para niños. Tras toda esta estructura infantil, se plantea un fondo social que, si bien no está presente de manera clara, es obviamente el manejo de la historia y la memoria frente al Holocausto de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Las coincidencias (manteniendo las proporciones) entre la propuesta de Oz y de Primo Levi son asombrosas. El papel que le dan ambos autores a la dupla silencio-olvido/escritura-memoria, es fuerte y muy bien estructurada. En el caso de Oz, estas propuestas se representan en pequeñas acciones (casi imperceptibles) que le dan un valor simbólico (y que no tienen casi valor argumental) al acto de callar, de hablar, de huir, etc. “De repente en lo profundo del bosque” es un libro que puede no funcionar en muchos aspectos: tiene una gran cantidad de clichés, personajes prototípicos, elementos conocidos y repetidos, palabras extrañas y problemas con la verosimilitud; sin embargo es justo en esos elementos en los que Oz acierta. El autor Israelí juega a crear nuevos significados y profundidades con elementos cotidianos y habituales. Como si pintara una obra de arte con crayolas. Como si dibujara a Tintín con unos dedos untados de tempera.Durante toda mi lectura imaginaba a Mati (uno de los personajes principales) rubio de ojos claros y una sonrisa gigante y constante. Eso ocurre porque el pequeño al que, ahora, le leo cuentos se llama justamente así: Mati. Lo veo sorprenderse con las historias del elefante Elmer y el Willy de Anthony Browne. Espero que se siga sorprendiendo con todas esas historias, espero leerle en voz alta -dentro de un par de años- el libro de Amos Oz, espero que no crea simples esas historias. Quiero que salga y juegue y lea y quizá, en una de esas salidas, encuentre ese libro que le cambie la vida, así como lo hizo conmigo Tintín.
Fairy tales appear deceptively simple, when, in fact, the reverse is true. They must work on more than one level: they must include interesting characters and a fast-paced plot to keep children interested; a moral a child can identify, and often there is a third layer - a moral lesson for adults to dig into in more detail, a take-away life lesson, for lack of a better term, to keep the story compelling enough to keep the adult reader reading.Suddenly in the Depths of the Forest is an intricate story with many plotlines interlaced. There is the primary, surface story about an isolated mountain town in which there are no animals, insects or life forms other than plants and humans, and along with that the bullying and ridicule suffered by anyone either outside the mainstream, or anyone who does not fall in line with those who've conveniently "forgotten" how the animals went missing in the first place. At this level there is significant tension within the community as those who remember are treated as though they are defective in some basic way. And, in fact, a few of them are eccentric to the point of being grotesque, such as the wife who pushes her husband around in a baby carriage as he makes sheep sounds, remembering but not quite remembering a time when there were animals on the farms.Next, there's the relationship between Matti and Maya, two school children who care enough to pursue the question of what happened to the animals, despite vague warnings of the evil that lurks "out there," in the forest, and the legend of a creature so evil it wisks off every life form in its path. While Matti is by far the more cautious and afraid, his friend Maya takes the lead role when a decision must be made, becoming a strong female character when it's necessary for her to lead.And, finally, the stories of both Nimi and Nehi, the two people farthest outside the mainstream, who chose to shun the villagers altogether rather than deal with being ostracized and ridiculed. Both of them are very close to the earth, perhaps pagan, and in touch with the pulse of nature. They are, as a result, the most feared characters.The complexity of Oz's book is impressive, the world he's created authentic to the last detail. He's managed to be concise without skimping on either plot or character. His prose, as translated by Sondra Silverston, blends well with this sort of created folklore. It is lyrical in every positive way, never slowing down the pace of the story while creating a romantic, somewhat surreal world in which the impossible is possible.The story also comes full circle, while leaving the ending ambiguous. Do Maya and Matti find a way to bring the animals home and restore their community, or are the forces of social pressure, and denial of culpability, too strong to overcome? It is an enjoyable, deep read, satisfying for a wide age range. Very highly recommended, especially to those interested in the fairy tale or fantasy genres.
What do You think about Suddenly In The Depths Of The Forest (2010)?
This book has layers like the Grand Canyon. Each band reveals something significant to the whole story. How is it that a village has no animals? How is it possible that the children in the village have never heard a dog bark, cat meow or goat bleat? The village in Oz’s story is cursed. The windows are shuttered at night and the children all understand, accept that Nehi, the Mountain Demon did it all. Emanuella the Teacher knows the truth, but no one will listen to her and over time she falls silent. Two children, a boy, Matti and a girl, Maya wonder how it happened. Maya is brave and will do whatever it takes; Matti is unsure but want to know what happened. One day while they are out in the woods, they see something miraculous, but they don’t tell anyone. It becomes their secret, their bond. Overtime their wonderment leads to curiosity and that leads to action. They want to find the truth. They set out in search of Nimi, a boy who leaves the village. The truth resides in all of us. A book that takes a few hours to read will reside with you long after the last page. Recall the proverb: Never put off tomorrow what you can do today. A story about how we live our lives and how we treat one another. It is as much about a curse as we are cursed. As James Balwin says, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Amos Oz is an Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist. He is also a professor of literature at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva. He is a celebrated author with many awards and honors, but he may be unknown to some. In the tradition of the best allegorical novels, this story is timeless and the subject is humanity.
—Constance Pappas
“Suddenly In the Depths of the Forest” by award winning Israeli author Amos Oz (archive) is a short novel which you can read to your kids. Oz set out to write a folk tale and succeeded in more ways than one.Once upon a time there was a village. The village had no animals, no cows, dogs or pigs, not even worms, fish or spiders. None of the adults are willing to speak about that catastrophe and at night they bolt their doors of fear from Nehi, the Mountain Demon who is blamed for their misfortune.No one dares go into the mountain except two kids Maya and Matti which…you’ll have to read for yourself.“Suddenly In the Depths of the Forest” by Amos Oz has more of a European feel to it (forests, mountains, streams) than an Israeli one. While this is a story for children, adults will certainly enjoy this multi-layered fable.According to the book, Oz based this story on fables he remembers from his childhood told him by his mother. He thinks that was the way his mother (who committed suicide before she reached the age of 40) communicated.Mr. Oz certainly put a lot of thought into the symbolism in this book. The story could be about being exiled from the Promised Land or about the holocaust, a terrible past of vanished creatures. There is a society based on lying, a voyage into a dangerous land away from home.We never find out though, the ending is left open with no single truth found, as is most of life.Great job by translator Sondra Silverston who managed, somehow, to translate the feel of anxiety as well as the humor.For more reviews please visit my bookish blog at http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
—Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com
I have always been a fan of Amos Oz and was very exited when my request for 'Suddenly in the Depths of the Forest' was accepted.It will be published on the 21st of March, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It is a childrens book and recommended for 10-14 year olds.Pages: 144I got this book from netGalley for free.The main characters in this book are Matti and Maya and they live in "the village". This village doesn't have a name, but the name isn't important. Something tragic has happened in the village. Some years back all the animals in the village disappeared. The entire flock, all the pets and even the insects and birds. Matti, Maya and all the other kids only know about animals through the tales of Teacher Emmanuella. Parents don't want to talk about it and every night all the houses are locked out of fear for the Night Demon Nehi. The forest near the village is forbidden territory, because that is where Nehi lives. The story goes that he once passed through the village and took all the animals.A little boy, Nimi, is the childrens scapegoat and he makes a fool out of himself in order to be liked by them. One day he dissappears and nobody can find him. After a week he returns from the forest, muddy and with torn clothes and all he does is whoop. He is excluded by the village community even more, because they think he has whoopitis. Sometimes a child talks about a dream he had about animals in school, but they are always stopped by the harassment they face if they would continue talking about it.Maya and Matti are different from the other children, because they have a secret. They never told anyone about their secret, because the knew nobody would believe them and everybody would thin kthey have whoopitis. But they know what they saw, they saw a living fish. One night Maya decides to stay up and see whether the Demon Nehi actually visits the village at night to steal little kids. All she can see are the nine trees in the valley. The next morning however there are only eight. She tells Matti and he stays up at well and the same thing happens to him. Together they decide to go into the forest to see whether Nehi actually exists and whether he has all the animals. They go into the forest and climb up the mountain. They come to a cave where thye suprisingly find Nimi, who tells them he only whoops so that he is left alone by everyone. They continue to climb, but they loose each other. Matti decides to look for Maya and finds a gate, from behind which he can hear Maya's voice calling him. He goes in and feels as if he has been there before. Maya has a kitten in her arms and they are so focussed on stroking the kitten that they don't see the man. He turns out to be Nehi, who's real name is Na'aman. He lived in the village years ago and was harrased, just like Nimi. I won't tell you any more, because I want the ending to remain a secret!! Will they get away from the demon? What about the animals?The story is written in a simple and incredibly sweet style, that can speak to both kids and adults. It will definitly be a favourite if you like to read books to your kids. The book makes a very strong case against bullying and shows how lonely and bitter it can make people. A character that I really loved was Solina the Seamstress. She is, in my opinion, the tragic hero of this boo. Her husband tried to get their animals back and when he was found in the forest he had gone mad. He started to shrink to the size of a baby and started to bleat like a litle goat. But Solina stayed at his side and every night she puts him in a stroller and walks him through the village. And sometimes she stops and strokes his head when his bleating becomes very desperate. She is avoided by most vilalgers, but she doesn't seem to mind. She still loves her husband and wouldn't think of leaving him. While reading that I couldjust see Solina walk through the village, all alone. Isn't that beautiful?Matti and Maya are really sweet characters and are also complete opposites. Maya is headstrong and Matti is a little bit more insecure and easily frightened. It is very clear that they need each other in order to survive.
—Juli Rahel
