The Balkans and World Literature

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

This panel explores the relationship between the Balkans and world literature, questioning how the Balkans positions itself (or is positioned) in the global literary context beyond its immediate neighbors, how the concept of “world literature” is understood from a Balkan perspective, and how it has changed and been remembered over time. How has Balkan literature influenced (or been influenced) by other literary traditions, and how does Balkan history/language/politics transform literary styles, genres, or conventions? Panelists rely on comparative approaches to literary analysis in order to shed light on Balkan contributions to world literature as well as its fraught connection to it. Ani Kokobobo positions Ismail Kadare as both grounded in his local Albanian history, culture, and myth as well as connected to global literary trends, thereby bringing Albania into the broader framework of world literature. Gordan Matas reevaluates the violence and conflict associated with Balkans through an analysis of storytelling and memory of the region in world fiction. Sylvie Vidan draws connections between Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges and various Balkan writers through their interpretation of magical realist styles.

Sub Unit

• Literature: 20th Century

Chair

• Martina Mecco, U libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)

Papers

• Kadare and World Literature: Bridging History, Politics, and Myth - Ani Kokobobo, U of Louisiana at Lafayette

• Borges in the Balkans: Interpretations of Magical Realism - Sylvie Vidan, UCLA

Discussant

• Martina Mecco, U libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)