A forgotten bestseller: Lion Feuchtwanger's 'Spanish Ballad' remains relevant

A literary recommendation revisits Lion Feuchtwanger's "Spanish Ballad," a novel that was once a major translation bestseller in Croatia after World War II. Published in 1957 by Zora, a Zagreb-based publisher known for its high-quality titles, the book was a staple in virtually every home. Despite its former popularity, evidenced by frequent mentions in street surveys and interviews, the novel is now rarely read, and its author has faded into obscurity.

The book's design featured a black-and-white drawing on the cover, possibly a linocut, depicting a lute player wearing a crown, perhaps a jester. The "equipment" of the book, as graphic design was then called, was created by Edo Murtić, a prominent artist who was 36 years old at the time. Murtić's visit to America years earlier had deeply influenced him. The depiction of the lute player has been noted to resemble Picasso's style.

Feuchtwanger published "Spanish Ballad" (original title: "Spanische Ballade") just two years prior to the Croatian translation, making the translation timely. The translator, Dragutin Perković, is described as one of the most active and skilled Croatian translators of the 1950s and 1960s, though he too is now largely forgotten. The novel is accompanied by two postscripts: one by Feuchtwanger and another by the translator, offering insights into the time and context that are difficult to find elsewhere.

Feuchtwanger, born into a prosperous, patriotic German family with traditional Jewish roots, was a prolific writer of dramas and novels. He developed a unique model for the historical novel, often placing real events within the context of anonymous protagonists. His work frequently explored the history of the Jewish people, from biblical narratives and the expulsion from Spain to more recent times. He admired Thomas Mann and was a literary contemporary of Heinrich Mann, Alfred Döblin, and Bertolt Brecht, and was inspired by Maxim Gorky. Feuchtwanger was a leftist who experienced significant upheaval, including internment in Tunisia during World War I and a return to Germany, followed by a period in the United States before Hitler's rise to power, after which he returned to France.