Constructing oneself in a story – about history and identity in "Dom kata" ("The Hangman’s House") by Andrea Tompa

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to present the literary output of Andrea Tompa, using her debut collection entitled Dom kata as an example. In her work, the Hungarian writer uses her creative potential connected with the experiences of growing up in a discriminated national minority in Romania in the 1980s. In the paper, I demonstrate how the history of the area and biography intertwine in the literary transformation of experience in a quasi‑autobiographical story about entering adulthood. In Andrea Tompa’s work, one can see how the geo‑cultural experience has an impact on both the way the story is constructed and the narrative strategies applied, as well as its influence on the reception of the work among readers. The trauma of the regime and exclusion associated with Romania in the second half of the 20th century is conveyed by means of a hybrid form and fragmented narratives. This unique combination that makes up the book of the Hungarian writer provides an inspiring material for literary research, both from the perspective of memory studies and the poetics of experience. As for the way of constructing the story, which is hard to categorize according to strict genre classifications, it only enlivens the reception.