Ni braća ni rođaci

Ni braća ni rođaci belongs to Ranko Marinković’s early fiction, in which island society becomes the setting for intricate psychological conflicts. Beneath everyday encounters, family connections and concern for reputation lie wounded pride, concealed hostility and persistent memories of humiliation.

At its centre is rivalry developing into obsession. An injury suffered in childhood continues to shape adult relationships, while the desire for revenge intersects with family and property disputes. Kinship offers no assurance of solidarity: familiarity instead provides an intimate knowledge of another person’s weaknesses.

Marinković develops this conflict through irony, grotesque detail and sharply caricatured portraits. Writing itself becomes part of the confrontation, raising questions about literary representation and its use as an instrument of personal retaliation.

Psychological scrutiny and social satire combine in a story about lives increasingly organised around an adversary. The novella explores how a seemingly minor slight can become a lasting motive, and how the need for recognition can turn into a determination to humiliate others. Its enclosed social world gives private resentment an audience and makes escape from established roles increasingly difficult.