Handbook of Polish, Czech and Slovak Holocaust Fiction: Works and Contexts (de Gruyter Reference)

The __Handbook of Polish, Czech, and Slovak Holocaust Fiction__ aims to increase the visibility and show the versatility of works from East-Central European countries. It is the first encyclopedic work to bridge the gap between the literary production of countries that are considered to be main sites of the Holocaust and their recognition in international academic and public discourse. It contains over 100 entries offering not only facts about the content and motifs but also pointing out the characteristic fictional features of each work and its meaning for academic discourse and wider reception in the country of origin and abroad. The publication will appeal to the academic and broader public interested in the representation of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and World War II in literature and the arts. Besides prose, it also considers poetry and theatrical plays from 1943 through 2018. An introduction to the historical events and cultural developments in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Czech, and Slovak Republic, and their impact on the artistic output helps to contextualise the motif changes and fictional strategies that authors have been applying for decades. The publication is the result of long-term scholarly cooperation of specialists from four countries and several dozen academic centres. Content 5 List of Entries 7 Introduction 11 Entries 51 The Abandoned Doll (Opuštěná panenka) 51 And God Saw That It Was Bad (I viděl bůh, že je to špatné) 55 Annihilation (Zagłada) 59 At Home with the Hitlers. The Hitlers’ Kitchen (Doma u Hitlerů. Hitlerovic kuchyň) 63 The Beautiful Mrs Seidenman (Początek) 67 The Black Seasons (Czarne sezony) 71 A Black Solstice (Čierny slnovrat) 76 Black Torrent (Czarny potok) 80 The Black Tree’s Memory (Černá paměť stromu) 83 The Boarding House (Pensjonat) 86 Boundary Marker (Kamień graniczny) 90 A Box of Lives (Krabice živých) 94 Bread for the Departed (Chleb rzucony umarłym) 98 A Christmas Legend from the Ghetto (Vánoční legenda z ghetta) 102 The Clerical Republic (Farská republika) 105 Colors (Barvy) 109 Concert on the Island (Koncert na ostrově) 112 Confession (Spowiedź) 116 The Court Jesters (Dvorní šašci) 120 The Cremator (Spalovač mrtvol) 123 Crow Songs (Vraní zpěvy) 127 The Day of Wrath (Dzień gniewu) 131 Death Is Called Engelchen (Smrť sa volá Engelchen) 135 Death of a Liberal (Śmierć liberała) 139 The Death of the Beautiful Deer (Smrt krásných srnců) 142 The Devil’s Workshop (Chladnou zemí) 146 Diamonds of the Night (Démanty noci) 149 Diary of Love (Pamiętnik miłości) 153 Doctor Josef’s Beauty (Ślicznotka doktora Josefa) 157 Doctor Mráz (Doktor Mráz) 160 The Earth Under Your Feet (Zem pod nohami) 164 Elegy for 77,297 Victims (Žalozpěv za 77 297 obětí) 167 Elegy for the Little Jewish Towns (Elegia miasteczek żydowskich) 171 The Elephants in Mauthausen (Slony v Mauthausene) 175 Emma and the Death’s Head Hawkmoth (Ema a Smrtihlav) 179 The Empty Field (Puste pole) 182 The Escape from Yasnaya Polyana (Ucieczka z Jasnej Polany) and Shakespeare (Szekspir) 185 An Excursion to the Museum (Wycieczka do muzeum) 189 A Farewell to Maria (Pożegnanie z Marią) 192 The Final Station (Umschlagplatz) 196 The Flytrap Factory (Fabryka muchołapek) 200 The Fourth Language (Štvrtá reč) 204 Frascati: An Apotheosis of Topography (Frascati. Apoteoza topografii) 207 From the Abyss: Memories from the Camp (Z otchłani: Wspomnienia z lagru) 210 God’s Horse (Koń Pana Boga) 213 Hannah (Hana) 217 The Holocaust (Holokaust) 221 Holy Week: A Novel of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Wielki Tydzień) 224 A Human Matter (Rzecz ludzka) 228 I Didn’t Want to Be a Jew (Nechcel som byť žid) 231 It Happened on the First September (or Whenever) (Stalo sa prvého septembra [alebo inokedy]) 235 Italian High Heels (Włoskie szpilki) 239 The Jewish War and The Victory (Żydowska wojna, Zwycięstwo) 243 The Land of Forgetting (Krajina zabudnutia) 247 The Land without God (Země bez Boha) 251 The Last Cyclist (Poslední cyklista) 255 The Last Thing (Posledná vec) 259 Lessons in Love and Dancing (Hodina tance a lásky) 263 Life with a Star (Život s hvězdou) 266 The Lilies of Erika (Erikine ľalie) 270 Lily of the Valley: Rudolf Dilong’s Forbidden Love (Konvália: Zakázaná láska Rudolfa Dilonga) 273 The Liver of Prometheus (Prometheova játra) 276 Medallions (Medaliony) 280 The Menorah (Sedmiramenný svícen) 284 Miracle in the Darkhouse (Zázrak v černém domě) 288 Modern Nativity Play (Jasełka-moderne) 291 Money from Hitler (Peníze od Hitlera) 295 More Gas, Comrades! (Więcej gazu, Kameraden!) 299 The Most Important Particle (Ta najważniejsza cząsteczka) 302 Mr Theodore Mundstock (Pan Theodor Mundstock) 305 Night of the Living Jews (Noc żywych Żydów) 309 The Old Man and Fate (Starý pán a osud) 313 Our Class: XIV Lessons from History (Nasza klasa: historia w XIV lekcjach) 316 The Peasant (Sedliak) 320 A Pending Matter (Nevybavená záležitosť) 324 The Pianist (Śmierć miasta) 327 A Piece about Mother and Fatherland (Utwór o Matce i Ojczyźnie) 331 Plague in Athens (Mor v Athénách) 335 Pocket Atlas of Women (Kieszonkowy atlas kobiet) 339 Postscriptum (Postscriptum) 344 A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova (Modlitba pro Kateřinu Horovitzovou) 348 A Private Conversation (Soukromý rozhovor) 352 Proofs of Existence (Dowody na istnienie) 356 A Reading of Ashes (Odczytanie popiołów) 360 Romeo and Juliet and the Darkness (Romeo, Julie a tma) 364 Samson (Samson) 368 A Scrap of Time (Skrawek czasu) 371 Selected Poetry (Poezje wybrane) 375 Selected Poetry (Poezje wybrane) 379 Selected Poetry (Wiersze wybrane) 383 The Shop on Main Street (Obchod na korze) 386 Sidra Noach (Sidra Noach) 390 The Sixth Battalion, On Guard! (Šiesty prápor, na stráž!) 394 Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Spolek pro ochranu zvířat) 398 The Song Will Survive... An Anthology of Poems About Jews Under the German Occupation (Pieśń ujdzie cało... Antologia wierszy o Żydach pod okupacją niemiecką) 402 The Sound of the Sundial (Zvuk slunečních hodin) 406 St. Elizabeth’s Square (Námestie svätej Alžbety) 410 The Stein Brothers Are in Town (Ve městě jsou bratři Steinové) 414 The Subtenant (Sublokatorka) 417 The Suitcase (Walizka) 421 Sweet Theresienstadt (Sladký Theresienstadt) 424 The Terezín Requiem (Terezínské Rekviem) 428 There Used to Be a Jewish Women, There Is No More Jewish Woman Now (Była Żydówka, nie ma Żydówki) 433 Trap with a Green Fence (Treblinka, slovo jak z dětské říkanky) 436 Tumult (Rejwach) 440 Tworki (Tworki) 444 We, Polish Jews (My, Żydzi polscy) 448 What I Read to the Dead (Co czytałem umarłym) 452 White Elephants (O bílých slonech) 456 Without Beauty, without a Collar (Bez krásy, bez límce) 459 The Woman Rabbi (Rabínka) 462 The Wrecked Temple in Me (Vo mne zbúraný chrám) 466 Detailed Overview 471 Contributors 483 Index of Names 487 Index of Topics, Motifs, Images, Places, and Devices 505

The Handbook of Polish, Czech, and Slovak Holocaust Fiction aims to increase the visibility and show the versatility of works from East-Central European countries. It is the first encyclopedic work to bridge the gap between the literary production of countries that are considered to be main sites of the Holocaust and their recognition in international academic and public discourse. It contains over 100 entries offering not only facts about the content and motifs but also pointing out the characteristic fictional features of each work and its meaning for academic discourse and wider reception in the country of origin and abroad.

The publication will appeal to the academic and broader public interested in the representation of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and World War II in literature and the arts. Besides prose, it also considers poetry and theatrical plays from 1943 through 2018. An introduction to the historical events and cultural developments in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Czech, and Slovak Republic, and their impact on the artistic output helps to contextualise the motif changes and fictional strategies that authors have been applying for decades.

The publication is the result of long-term scholarly cooperation of specialists from four countries and several dozen academic centres.

The Handbook Presents Literary Fiction Works On The Holocaust In Three Slavic Languages. It Contains More Than 120 Articles Including An Introduction Dealing With Holocaust Literature In The Broader Context. The Publication Will Become A Standard Reference Book At Universities And In Public Libraries, And Will Be Useful To Everyone Interested In The Holocaust, Anti-semitism, World War Ii, And Jewish-related Literature.