Temna stran empatije v sodobnem slovenskem romanu

The rise of increasingly normalized sadistic behavior in today’s world is reflected in the phenomenon of dark empathy as intentional coexperiencing of someone else’s pain. Forms of empathic and manipulative sadism are analyzed in two contemporary Slovenian novels, Kralj ropotajočih duhov (The King of Rambling Spirits) by Miha Mazzini and Tito, amor mijo (Tito, My Love) by Marko Sosič, as well as in the contemporary Argentine novel Cómo me hice monja (How I Became a Nun) by César Aira. In these novels, manifestations of dark empathy emerge both on a social level, where they grow out of the shadows of authoritarian and fascist discourses, and on an intimate level within the family environment, frequently in the relationship with those closest to us.