Authoritarianism and violence in ‘The White King’, by György Dragomán

Abstract

This article consists of an analysis of The White King novel, which is written by György Dragomán. The study considers the concepts of authoritarianism and violence in order to verify how the narrative develops in relation to these two themes. In this way, the definitions of "authoritarianism" and "violence" are considered from Bobbio’s Dictionary of Politics (1998), as the theoretical and allegorical reflection are from Wolfgang Sofsky, in his publication Tratado sobre la violencia (2006). In addition, the historical references used in the fictional construction of the narrative are also examined in order to be understood the specificities of the authoritarian and violent regime mentioned in the novel. Thus, the present analysis demonstrates the centrality of the concepts of authoritarianism and violence in The White King book, which are decisive, not only for the development of the plot, but also for the transformation of the narrator-character: Dzsátá.