Central Europe: An Idea and its Literature

Today’s Central Europe has been defined by historical events from the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy (1918) to the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the crisis of European identity. Focusing on literary works from this multicultural and multilingual world—not neglecting their artistic qualities—we will address the question: How does the Central European experience help us to understand the current European cultural, social and political tensions, as well as its aspirations and the perennial question of its unity? Authors include: J.Roth, Musil, Schulz, Canetti, Gombrowicz, Cioran, Hrabal, Kiš, Kundera, H.Müller. This course is a great way to learn more about Austrian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, and Ukrainian literature and culture in their historical contexts.