Review | Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk

Title: Primeval and Other Times

Author: Olga Tokarczuk

Translator: Antonia Lloyd-Jones

Published by: Twisted Spoon Press

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Where I got the book: Interlibrary loan

Content warning: domestic violence, rape, state brutality, war, alcoholism, marital affair, the holocaust

“[Primeval and Other Times] is set in the mythical village of Primeval in the very heart of Poland, which is populated by eccentric, archetypal characters. The village, a microcosm of Europe, is guarded by four archangels, from whose perspective the novel chronicles the lives of Primeval’s inhabitants over the course of the feral 20th century. In prose that is forceful and direct, the narrative follows Poland’s tortured political history from 1914 to the contemporary era and the episodic brutality that is visited on ordinary village life. Yet Primeval and Other Times is a novel of universal dimension that does not dwell on the parochial. A stylized fable as well as epic allegory about the inexorable grind of time, the clash between modernity (the masculine) and nature (the feminine), it has been translated into most European languages.” (Source)

Primeval and Other Times is another recent favourite of mine. Back when I was researching books to read for Women in Translation Bingo and Women in Translation Month in general, I accidentally wound up picking Karate Chop by Dorthe Nors for the Eastern Europe bingo square. Somehow my brain didn’t get the memo that Denmark is not even remotely considered part of Eastern Europe. So I found up having to quickly research more books before my Bingo TBR was posted and stumbled across Primeval and Other Times. It sounded interesting, I liked the cover and more importantly I could get it from the library.

Overall, I found Primeval and Other Times to be a really quick read once I got into it. The topic matter isn’t particularly light as it deals with abusive families, marital affairs, domestic violence, alcoholism, rape, state brutality, and the holocaust. But Tokarczuk’s writing contains a beautiful light and mesmerizing tone that made me devour this book. The contrast between the tone and subject matter works really well to balance the horrific parts of history and the more magical elements of the book.

Centred at the heart of the book are the villagers. The inhabitants of Primeval are both eccentric and archetypal. They fight, they fall in love, they are consumed with the small worries of life, they only think about the big picture. Sometimes books that examine the complexities and details of life don’t manage to properly pull it off but Tokarczuk manages beautifully. Primeval and Other Times is a blend between fable and allegory about the the grinding nature of time on human psyche, the fight between modernity and nature, masculine and feminine, questions of the divine, birth and death. It seeks to examine the universality of life and succeeds.

I’m not sure how much of Takarczuk’s work has been translated into English but I desperately want to read more. Primeval and Other Times is a must read for Women in Translation Month and every other month of the year.

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