Variants of Memory: A Picture of Spanish Civil War in the Novel ‘Madame’ by Antoni Libera Cover Image

Warianty pamięci: obraz hiszpańskiej wojny domowej w powieści „Madame” Antoniego Libery
Variants of Memory: A Picture of Spanish Civil War in the Novel ‘Madame’ by Antoni Libera

Author(s): Małgorzata Gaszyńska-Magiera
Subject(s): Military history, Polish Literature, Studies in violence and power, Interwar Period (1920 - 1939), Politics of History/Memory
Published by: KSIĘGARNIA AKADEMICKA Sp. z o.o.
Keywords: contemporary Polish novel; Spanish Civil War; travelling memory; narrative strategies;

Summary/Abstract: The plot of the novel ‘Madame’ by Antoni Libera takes place in Poland in the sixties, in the times of the real socialism. The author, through the statements and behavior of the characters, presents two different attitudes towards the Spanish Civil War: first, revealed by the official propaganda, and the second popular among the opponents of the regime. Therefore, the memory of the Civil War, modified and appropriated by the followers of two different ideologies, has become a tool used by the author to contrast two opposing discourses about history of the 20th century. In this way, the memory of the tragic events has come to the background, simply becoming part of the narrative strategy.

  • Issue Year: 17/2020
  • Issue No: 65
  • Page Range: 123-131
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Polish