Talk:Everything Is Illuminated

Theme and title
"At its core, the novel is a Holocaust story."

I would tend to disagree; can we get some sources for this? The semiological and existential facets are (IMO) far more relevant, while the portrayals of the Holocaust, Holocaust survivors and Jewish culture have all been criticized as caricatural. The tangled hierarchy of narratives (to which is so relevant the repeated theme, 'it would be possible, in theory, for life and art to be reversed') is powerfully employed to deliver interesting, original existential meditations. The Holocaust is the core of the narrative but an instrument to deliver a wider message about existential horror. 201.67.57.35 18:38, 21 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree that the claim needs a source. Also, are we sure that Kundera's novel is the source of this novel's title? | Mr. Darcy talk 03:26, 24 April 2006 (UTC)


 * In Perchov's parlance 'everything is illuminated' stands for 'everything is clear' and I believe the expression is somewhere in the text. For the moment I have found  just 'it all become illuminated' and 'we will illuminate everything' p142,146.[see Nov.17,1997].
 * Anyway the link is not to a valid ref so I removed the section 'origin of the title'.al (talk) 14:34, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

I haven't read the novel, I've only seen the movie. The movie... well, has nothing to do with real Ukraine. Any sane Ukrainian or Russian can interpret it only as an amusing example of how "they" imagine some aspects of Soviet reality.

I totally disagree that "at it's core the book is a holocaust story", the holocaust is prelipheral and coincidental to the main story, the tale of Brod and historical Trachimbrod, which is of course linked to the Holocaust but only in it's end. The themes of love and isolation are much more resonant throughout.

Please separate spoiler and non-spoiler elements
Please separate spoiler and non-spoiler elements! I love the fact that Wikipedia warns the reader of "giving away" the endings of movies, etc. It is possible to review any movie without doing so. Also it's good to have the endings described for those who have seen it or don't mind knowing the ending before they see it. My friend says I must see this movie. However, not having seen it, I don't want to read this article until the spoiler elements are separated and I can read the non-spoiler parts. Could someone who has seen it please take all the non-spoiler parts and put them above the spoiler warning? Korky Day 22:17, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

Safran saved by Augustine?
...in search of Augustine, the woman who saved his grandfather's life during the Nazi liquidation of Trachimbrod,...

I have not read the book, but in the film, Augustine is Safran's wife or lover, and is pregnant with their child when she is murdered. Safran leaves Tachimbrod a week prior to the pogroms to find a new home for his family in the US. Augustine is also Jewish and among the victims, so she did not save Safran's life. The fact that Augustine saved Safran is also alluded to in the trailer, but it's not substantiated in the film. --Alban (talk) 22:35, 19 March 2010 (UTC)


 * In the book, Augustine was one of the people in the picture Johnathan gets from his grandmother, but he is not sure exactly which girl it is since there were a few people, in the movie there is only his grandfather and Augustine. In the book, there is not much at all to do with this grandfather and so much more to do with his ancestors and the history of Tachimbrod. Like the book, the movie has so much more to do with getting to Tachimbrod and not so much about the grandfather, so it doesnt go into much detail, but from what I can tell, Augustine and her family helps him get to America before the Nazi invasion, seeming more coincidence rather than snatching him out of the clutches of the Nazis, so yes, she was very alive when Safran was "saved". —Preceding unsigned comment added by BillyNair (talk • contribs) 13:55, 20 March 2010 (UTC)


 * No, in the film, Augustine is the woman in the picture. She is Safran's fiancée and is pregnant with his child. Safran leaves Ukraine for America to find a new home for them. About a week after his departure, the massacre of Trachimbrod takes place and Augustine is killed.--Alban (talk) 09:31, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

The book as it relates to the movie?
It seams as if this was written about the movie and how it relates to the book rather than about the book. There is no mention of Brod or the guy with the dead hand (Johnathan's grandfather) or about Alex's grandfather's past, which, I guess is a spoiler and might not have much room in the article. I am not very good at book reports or i would do it myself, but I would like to see more of the story than just Johnathan's trek. --Billy Nair (talk) 14:03, 20 March 2010 (UTC)

In America, "the Times" means "the New York Times" not the Times of London.
Foer is an American writer, so it is reasonable to assume that referring to "the Times" is referring to the New York Times. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.240.194.111 (talk) 20:00, 3 September 2011 (UTC)

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