Javier Cercas’ Soldiers of Salamis is a novel set after the Spanish Civil War, where the narrator is attempting to understand the story of one soldier. The story focuses on a political prisoner, I believe, at the time and how they escape from a firing squad. I had found interesting in the novel the topic of loss. There are two significant losses present in the novel, in my opinion. One of them is the loss of literature, as the narrator states. The narrator had stated that a person “had won the war but lost literature” (Cercas, Soldiers of Salamis). There’s also a question of how someone in literature is presented. Such as, the narrator had wanted to write “A true tale, I thought, but didn’t say. That’s what I’m going to write,” though there is a question of whether the tale is correct (Cercas, Soldiers of Salamis). The narrator follows by stating that through storytelling, Figueras’ “father wouldn’t be entirely dead,” which is a role of tales and storytelling (Cercas, Soldiers of Salamis). The novel is about the history and a historical figure and event, where the second form of loss is presented in the novel.
The second form of loss in the novel is the loss of information. As stated in the novel, a document is mentioned:” ‘the diary Sánchez Mazas had with him when he was in hiding in the forest,’” (Cercas, Soldiers of Salamis). Historical documents and historical figures’ stories tend to change and evolve as time passes on. As that occurs, as stated in the lecture, memory and misinformation become an aspect of history. The novel also noted that the diary was “like a family heirloom, my father was very attached to it,” (Cercas, Soldiers of Salamis). The dairy being “like a family heirloom,” shows that historical items can be passed on within a family from generation to generation. I do not own anything like that. Though, I believe that as generations go by, the story behind these items of history change and evolves. What is possible is that there could be a change in the story and thus a loss of information. Therefore, the person’s memory gets lost in a way, or an aspect of a story gets lost. This topic is interesting to me regarding the novel as the novel pertains to a journalist or a writer discussing historical events. These historical events gain accuracy based on shared knowledge of the time and historical artifacts. Therefore, both information and historical artifacts are essential when discussing a historical event, regardless of who’s side the story is about.
A question that I would ask my peers is: do you have a historical artifact or item? Do you know the story behind this artifact?
Hi Muskan! Great post. I think it’s interesting you’ve elected to break down the different forms of loss in the novel, exemplifying that loss extends beyond the physical, and grief can exist as a symptom all sorts of loss. As for your question, I have a letter my great-uncle wrote to a younger family member describing my family’s forcible displacement and the conditions within the Internment camp they were sent to. I also have a family crest that eventually I want to get tattooed. To me, these items are connected and exist as a reminder of my lineage. They’re a part of my history and Canada’s history as a whole. Thank you for this thoughtful post, and the opportunity to reflect!
Hi!
I loved your thoughts! I definitely think artifacts are reminders of history, though subject to change and meaning themselves. I personally don’t really have anything; since I’ve grown up moving all the time I’ve actually never been able to keep anything for long and don’t tend to do so now! Interestingly enough, I like to get rid of sentimental items every time I feel a change is due. Maybe this loss is something seen in part 3, with details being left undiscussed and hidden, for perhaps the reason that true understanding is only existent for those who’ve lived during the time in that moment of time only.
Hi Muskhan, thanks for your post.
Regarding your reflection on loss, perhaps we could ask why the war winner loses literature, and I think that allows us to get a little deeper into some thoughts that emerge from the novel.
On the other hand, the loss of Sánchez Mazas’ notebook is actually the guarantee that he will not break the pact with “the forest friends.”
But objects indeed condense many memories (or historical events). In my case, I am a collector of all kinds of things (stamps, bills, coins, all sorts of objects), but now as I live in another country, my poor mother has to deal with them (in any case, she says that I am present there through the objects).
Also, don’t forget to add tags; loss could make a great tag.
Hi Muskhan, great blog post! To answer your question, my family has a historic artefact, a little “Red Book” containing quotations from Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution in China. The book contains extremist and inhumane ideology that caused the turmoil of the country. It was once regarded as the “most popular literature” in China but later, with huge quantity in circulation, the books suddenly disappeared in Chinese households’ bookshelf after the revolution was regarded as a mistake by the government.