A novel by Mitja Čander, translated from the Slovene by Rawley Grau
ISBN: 978-1-912545-933
The main character and narrator of Blind Man is a successful book editor and critic with severely impaired vison, although he has never had much to do with the visually impaired community and doesn’t really feel like he is one of them. But when he is offered a chance to enter the world of politics, he is “blinded” by the lure of power, and this easy-going, level-headed husband and soon-to-be father gradually turns into a self-absorbed careerist.
Author Mitja Čander, without pontificating and with a measured dose of humour, paints a critical, unsparing portrait of a small European country and through it a convincing satire on the psychological state of contemporary European society. What, or who, do we still believe in today, and who should we trust? Politicians, apparatchiks, the media? Speeches laden with buzzwords and grandiose promises break down the flimsy façade, as the protagonist’s own insecurity suggests that things are not always what they seem. In the end, social blindness is worse than any physical impairment, and worst of all is to be blinded by your own ego.
“…an insightful satire on contemporary Slovenia and by extension the world of politics and the media beyond. It transcends borders with its topical resonance.”
The New European
“Cander is strong on atmosphere and wit – there is a grim amusement in the central character’s somewhat gullible hyperactivity…”
