Scholarly record

HOLOCAUST IN LATVIAN LITERATURE: THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS

E. Vasiljeva

Abstract

The given interdisciplinary research regards on the basis of the analysis of literary texts the specificity of the perception of the Holocaust in Latvia that demonstrates transformation of anthropological categories related to the perception of the alien, life, death, responsibility, sinfulness. In the contemporary Latvian cultural space the theme of the Holocaust is given a special place. It is one of the aspects of the interpretation of the events of World War II and the human factor in the context of the war. (The war events are not just a change of the attitude towards the Jews, but that of the attitude towards the whole humankind). It is a reflection of the historical memory (in the oral history of Latvia, the theme of the Holocaust has been activated). It is one of the themes to regard the aspect of cultural interaction and perception of other or alien culture. The tradition of the reflection of the Holocaust in literature is connected with particular traditions. First and foremost it is related to a strict borderline between the western and eastern traditions in the treatment of this phenomenon. Latvian culture demonstrates a unique example of the synthesis of the western and eastern traditions. The object of the present research: two literary texts that demonstrate the representation of the Holocaust in the Latvian literature of the 2nd half of the 20thcentury - the beginning of the 21st century – the novel by Gunārs Janovskis “Pilsēta pieupes” (A Town near the River) and the novel by Andris Kolbergs “Klaunu maršs šausmu tirgū” (A March of Clowns in the Market of Horror). The task of the research is to consider the specificity of the perception and depiction of the Holocaust in accordance with the peculiarities of the historical and collective memory of the modern multicultural society. To achieve the task the following aims were set: to determine to which extent the historical context and especially the evaluation of World War II have influenced the treatment of the theme of the Holocaust in literature; to correlate the perception of the theme of the Holocaust with the problems of national identity and national responsibility; to define the specificity of the depiction of the images of the Jews in Latvian literature. The structural-semiotic and context analyses were used as the methodological basis for the present research. The research encompasses a detailed consideration of the historical, social and political context of the modern Latvian society and monographic analysis of the literary texts.

Publication details

Back to publication list