Thoughts on Cercas’s “Soldiers of Salamis”
by aliyah
A common theme I have come across in the books we have been reading recently is war. Last week having read Amulet, in which a woman hides from the army invasion in her university bathroom and the week before that with The Trenchcoat and its totalitarian control and paranoia. I think it is awfully relatable to the current world issue today with what is happening in Ukraine. Had I taken this course a year or even a term prior, I would not be able to compare and contrast the situations and see the connections directly. Moreover, it makes me wonder what thoughtful works by Ukrainian authors are being written at this very moment. Today we have social media platforms in which information and awareness can be spread more easily, and censorship is harder to control compared to the times of The Trenchcoat, Amulet, and Soldiers of Salamis. With that in mind, I pose the question to you: how do you think writing about this tragic topic has changed over time?
On to Cercas’s book itself, prior to watching the lecture, I began this book with a fresh mindset but I wasn’t really sure what type of book I was reading, in particular, whether it was fiction or non-fiction. Nonetheless, I enjoyed how we followed along with the narrator on the investigation of Sanchez Mazas and discovered how little the narrator (and by default, us, the readers) know about the war. I think this also connects back to the accessibility and spread of information (and misinformation) in comparison to then and now. Today, if one has access to the internet, they can simply look up the current news and political figures/heroes. While it may be challenging to differentiate the truth from false narratives and censorship, I think it is a lot easier to do now than ever before. The text also examines the nature of war heroes and how their legacy is dependent on how long they are remembered. This reminded me of the quote “You die twice. Once when you take your final breath, and then again the last time someone says your name.” I can not recall where I remember this quote from or whether it was from a film or song, but it seems to be the same idea Cercas is demonstrating in his text. If any of you know the origin of this quote, please let me know!
“While it may be challenging to differentiate the truth from false narratives and censorship, I think it is a lot easier to do now than ever before.”
It may be nice to think this, but I’m not convinced. Think for instance about the fact that millions in Russia are convinced that theirs is a war against Nazism. Or think, closer to home, about the spread of conspiracy theories such as QAnon. The Internet and social media also sow confusion and doubt as much as they provide clarity.