Bojan Humski: STAF, book presentation

Tuesday 7th July 2009 at 7 pm - the presentation of the book Staf by Bojan Humski, published by Kibla's TOX publishing. The discussion was hosted by Snežana Štabi.

The book revolves around drugs, be it legal or prohibited. An illustrative example of “it-can't-happen-to-me” kind of thinking, obviously wrong. An illustrative example of how a successful businessman can be transformed by drugs - before even realising it - into a successfully addicted dealer. And an illustrative example of the path out of drugs, into a life without drugs.

No moralising.

”This is more a document than a book,” said the journalist and reviewer Iztok Presl (who appears in Staf with his real name), “a document, that could just as well be a dull curriculum vitae attached to a job application. Yet, quite the contrary, this is a coloured, interesting, appropriately rhythmical series of events to be absorbed in one day (if you're a somewhat quick reader) ... at the same time educational enough to be compulsory reading for some, as the complications and experience that the author encountered (on his way down) could just as well have led to a worse or more tragic ending ... and that is the rub. ”Don't take this path or else you can only be brought back to life by a lucky coincidence!” but 99.9 % of people simply can't and shouldn't rely on this. This has clearly been proven by statistics, figures reporting about masses of addicts, lost lives and destinies, broken families and diverse drug-related criminal acts...”

Staf is the author's account - a very direct, personal, honest one - on his youth, entertainment, friends, socialising and particularly on the formation of values. A dense account mostly in dialogue written in the “street” language of Maribor, the region of Štajerska. The language “defies” the formal norms and rules, which has been popular in literature for a while now and can be encountered in catalogues of publishing houses, on bookshelves and our night tables. The author grew up in Maribor, between Pobrežje, Tabor and Melje, where his articulation was formed and established. His move to the region of Primorska had no influence on the language. His life there was filled by the search of meaning (women, earnings, entertainment), the encounter with being grown up and mature, and the search of his place in the society. He plunges into and realises business feats with unbelievable eagerness, wins numerous achievements with humour resolution, at the same time fostering his relations towards friends and wider society. An account of the present, when some things simply cannot be understood if/as we have not experienced the same, this is also a story of lost illusions that had no opportunity to emerge.