Review: Héctor Abad Faciolince's 'Betrayal of Memory' Explores Authorship, Politics, and Poetry

Miljenko Jergović recommends Héctor Abad Faciolince's "Izdaja sjećanja" (Betrayal of Memory), a 2026 publication from Zagreb, framing it as a profound literary work that transcends simple genre classifications. The review begins by addressing a common debate in the region: whether a writer addresses existing events (non-fiction, considered lesser value) or invents stories (fiction).

Jergović approaches "Izdaje sjećanja" as fiction, a Borhesian or Bolanjo-esque mystification, where the narrative is presented as if grounded in documentary reality, though unverifiable by the reader. He posits that the reader of fiction agrees to the author's rules if they are well-executed. The central question then becomes: if the events are true, is the text still fictional due to its style, or non-fictional because of its veracity? This leads to the consideration of whether external circumstances dictate literary genres.

The narrative centers on a narrator whose father is murdered. A sonnet, believed by the narrator to be by Borges, is found in the father's pocket, initiating an investigation into its authorship. This investigation expands, involving many people, driven by the narrator's need to prove the sonnet's origin. Such proof, it seems, would give meaning to the father's death, making it somehow easier to bear.

Colombian writer Héctor Abad Faciolince's story initially focuses on authorship but broadens to encompass the social and political climate of his country, a biography, and a meditation on poetry's role in life and memory. The book formally comprises three texts: the lengthy investigation into the sonnet, an account of a Colombian exile's experiences in Italy, and a philosophical discussion on life choices. Despite their different tones and narrative tensions, the first being a novelistic narrative, the second an anecdotal essay, and the third a philosophical discourse, Jergović argues that Faciolince masterfully unites them into a solid, novelistic whole.

Jergović concludes by noting the reader's potential confusion, feeling a connection to the world Faciolince describes, even if their personal experiences differ. The profound impact lies in the resonance of the themes, particularly the idea of a great poet's song found in a dead father's pocket, a scenario that, while perhaps not literally experienced, strikes a deep chord.

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Pripovijest koju iznosi kolumbijski pisac Héctor Abad Faciolince u početku se tiče autorstva, ali ona se postupno širi na priču o društvenom i političkom trenutku njegove zemlje, na jedan životopis i, naravno, na meditaciju o pjesništvu općenito, i na ulogu pjesništva u čovjekovom životu.