Socialistický realismus v erotickém balení. Rozpamätávanie Jána Lenča jako úspěšný typ normalizační tvorby poučené z krizového vývoje
Socialist realism in erotic packaging: Ján Lenčo’s Rozpamätávanie [Remembering] as a successful type of Normalisation-era writing shaped by the lessons of the crisis development

Summary/Abstract: The study analyses Ján Lenčo’s (1933–2012) novel Rozpamätávanie [Remembering] (1978), which was one of the few works of its time to achieve popularity with readers despite explicitly addressing communist ideology in several extensive passages. It examines the composition of the novel, with particular attention to the treatment of characters who voice ideologically charged statements and whose characterisation corresponds to the Normalisation-era ideal of the socialist-realist hero. It also considers the subsequent reception of the novel, including its resonance in the post-1989 period. The study compares Czech and Slovak literary production under Normalisation that reflected on contemporary history, especially the events of 1968, and describes the differences between the two contexts. Czech Normalisation-era writing generally avoided explicit engagement with communist ideology, while works that openly addressed 1968 tended to be neither artistically accomplished nor popular with readers. The study identifies the reasons for the favourable reception of Lenčo’s novel in Slovak society and outlines the differing contexts of Czech and Slovak Normalisation-era writing on contemporary history, the divergent perceptions of 1968, and the success of erotic themes, which in Rozpamätávanie overshadowed the ideologically charged passages devoted to the communist interpretation of history.

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