They Would Never Hurt a Fly
 First edition | |
| Author | Slavenka Drakulić |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction, History |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
Publication date | 2003 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 182 |
| ISBN | 0-349-11775-6 |
They Would Never Hurt a Fly (Croatian: Oni ne bi ni mrava zgazili) is a 2004 historical non-fiction novel by Slavenka Drakulić discussing the personalities of the war criminals on trial in The Hague that destroyed the former Yugoslavia (see International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia). Drakulić uses certain trials of alleged criminals with subordinate power to further examine and understand the reasoning behind their misconduct. Drakulić covers Slobodan Milošević and his wife, Ratko Mladić is portrayed as a Greek tragic figure.
Synopsis
[edit]They Would Never Hurt a Fly begins with an introductory section explaining Drakulić's purpose in the book as well as her choice in characters. She explains that she would like to learn more about their personalities to justify how the Yugoslavian war arose. Drakulić describes the war as an unexpected tragedy that befell innocent civilians within the boundaries of Yugoslavia - specifically Bosnia. As the book begins to unravel descriptive profiles of different war criminals, Drakulić elucidates that these criminals were not complete monsters but ordinary people who committed crimes due to the circumstances they were in: "the war itself turned ordinary men [...] into criminals because of opportunism, fear and, not least, conviction."[1]
Many of the perpetrators actually regard themselves as heroes rather than criminals and only regret "that they have been stupid enough to get caught or being tricked into surrendering." This argument is mirrored with political theorist Hannah Arendt's thesis on the Banality of Evil.[1][2][3]
The book ends with a note about the strange coexistence of war criminals together in Scheveningen Prison in The Hague. Despite the atrocities they had committed, the convicted men set aside their nationality and ethnic background. They formed alliances based on friendship and brotherhood. The prison director, Timothy McFadden, claimed that the accused must be considered innocent until their guilt is proven. For this reason, the criminals had better living conditions than in any other European prison. They could watch television shows in their native languages in their fairly spacious cells and were allowed frequent visits. The author pointed out the discrepancy between their living conditions and the crimes they had committed. Slavenka Drakulić concluded the book by questioning the purpose of war if the people who waged it can get along well, embrace without any hostility or patriotic feelings behind closed doors. She ultimately summed up her view with the thesis that the war was, after all, pointless.
Reception
[edit]Drakulić received the 2005 Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding for this work.[4]
Popular Reviews
[edit]Melissa Benn of The Guardian commends Drakulić for how she "demonstrates no little moral courage" in revisiting these historical events so soon after "the horrors of war" ended. Benn speaks positively of Drakulić's high level of detail and handling of moral ambiguity.[5]
Academic Reviews
[edit]Jens Becker[who?] highlights Drakulic's personal history as a Yugoslavian as a means by which Drakulic adds necessary context to her book's discussions in his review for the Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe. Becker applauds in particular how Drakulic can explore why the war began, how nationalism developed in a generation seemingly born into an integrated environment, and why individuals charged as war criminals are still considered heroes in their home countries. By exploring detailed backgrounds and wartime accounts, Drakulic can better understand the perpetrators on a human level. In particular, in Drakulic's exploration of Milosevic, she "deprives him of his demonic aura by forming an intelligent portrait," thereby providing a fuller account than one possible with use of just his political or wartime life.[6]
People covered
[edit]- Rahim Ademi
- Milan Čanić
- Dražen Erdemović
- Stjepan Grandić
- Goran Jelisić
- Radovan Karadžić
- Radomir Kovač
- Radislav Krstić
- Dragoljub Kunarac
- Milan Levar
- Mirjana Marković
- Slobodan Milošević
- Ratko Mladić
- Mirko Norac
- Dragan Obrenović
- Tihomir Orešković
- Biljana Plavšić
- Ivica Rožić
- Zoran Vuković
References
[edit]- ^ a b Drakulić, Slavenka (2004). They Would Never Hurt a Fly. Great Britain: Abacus. p. 50. ISBN 0349117756.
- ^ Arendt, Hannah (2006). Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. United States: Penguin Classics. pp. 336. ISBN 0143039881.
- ^ Shaina. "Review: They Would Never Hurt A Fly". The Daily Seyahatname. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding". City of Leipzig. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ Benn, Melissa (3 April 2004). "Review: They Would Never Hurt A Fly by Slavenka Drakulic". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Becker, Jens (2004). "Just normal guys - The observations of slavenka Drakulić from the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague". SEER: Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe. 7 (2): 163–165. ISSN 1435-2869. JSTOR 43294000.