Polish literature in a European context

In its various forms and formats, the literature that is popular - and intensively read - in Poland also reflects the historical experience of a shaken nation that is constantly reinventing itself: nowhere else have literary reportage and the essay as a provisional exploration of the other and the possible gained a comparable literary reputation. In our course we will deal with two novels, a shorter one by Stefan Chwin: Death in Gdansk, Rowohlt and a longer one by Szczepan Twardoch: Drach, Rowohlt, who is regarded as one of the most interesting voices in contemporary literature.Several texts by renowned Polish poets (Adam Zagajewski, Maria Szymborska), on the art of reportage and political aphorism (Ryszard Kapuszinski, Andrzej Stasiuk, Hanna Krall and Stanislaw Jerzy Lec), stories of Yiddish Poland (Isaac Bashewi Singer, Bruno Schulz) and magical realism (Czeslaw Milosz, Slawomir Mrozek) round off the program and will be made available as readers for 8€.We offer participants the prospect of an electrifying alternation of spirited polkas and tender, sad polonaises to compensate for the excessive reading. In collaboration with www.literaturferien.deLiteratur:Stefan Chwin:Tod in Danzig, RowohltSzczepan Twardoch: Drach, RowohltA reader with further texts will be provided for 8€.

Course leader: Prof. Dr. Brittnacher, Hans Richard. Annegret Wolfram is an experienced course leader in the field of literature and philosophy. More at www.literaturferien.deHans As a professor of German studies, Richard Brittnacher has traveled to many countries as part of his academic field work, is an ardent European and an expert on literature from the 18th century to the present day, and is particularly interested in the intersection of literature and religion, in the representation of minorities and in popular variants of literature (crime novels, fantasy, etc.).