A book a day: Unica Zürn: Grim Spring

Original language: German

gloomy spring is an uncomfortable novel of a strong autobiographical nature written by Unica Zürn, a German cartoonist, poet and narrator ascribed to surrealism. It plunges us into the life of a girl deprived of affection and love who awakens sadomasochistic appetites and who, in her desperation, frustration and loneliness, ends up committing suicide. It captures the incipient eroticism and sexuality of the protagonist as a traumatic, raw and heartbreaking learning experience.

gloomy spring It is read with extraordinary fluidity, undoubtedly benefited by the morbid fascination that it radiates. But do not think that its only value is the impact of its theme, because it also presents notable qualities; I think about the accurate psychological portrait he makes of his protagonist, the intensity of certain scenes (for example, the visit abroad) and their outcome (deliciously cruel and soaked in black humor).

The only fault I would give to gloomy spring It seems written on the fly. With this I do not mean that it is poorly written, because in general the style complies and even in certain passages it is particularly inspired. But the work gives the impression of a draft, which gives the whole an undeniable expressiveness but acts to the detriment of the plot and the characters (both sections lack focus, clarity and preparation).

In fact, the argument of gloomy spring works; However, it does not follow a clear direction, nor does it develop many of the elements it considers. Something similar happens with the characters in the novel, who, with the exception of the protagonist, are sketched with somewhat weak lines; I am also not convinced by the cast’s dynamics and interactions, as they are not always adequately suggested. The brother is, perhaps, one of the most wasted secondary characters, since we never understand his cruel, violent and hypervigilant.

In short, gloomy spring It is, despite its flaws, an interesting novel. It is the kind of introspective, murky, oblique and uncomfortable literature that amazed the surrealists and that, in contrast, would have provoked visceral rejection in the Nazis, who would undoubtedly have branded it degenerate art.