Online lecture #2
Ervin Malakaj
In the second online lecture in the series, on 4 June 2024, Ervin Malakaj explored the question of how translated literature influences the understanding and perception of German literature and which global perspectives can be identified as a result.
Ervin Malakaj spoke about his experiences in the fields of German literature and postcolonial studies, particularly in the context of Turkish-German migration. He highlighted the challenges and resistances he encountered in attempting to integrate postcolonial perspectives into German literary studies. Malakaj maintained the necessity of bringing postcolonial studies and the history of colonialism into a critique of the canon in order to foster transnational and transcultural perspectives.
Malakaj discussed the works of Bosnian author Lana Bastašić, particularly her novel Fang den Hasen [Catch the Rabbit] and the short story collection Mann im Mond [Man in the Moon]. He described her works’ German reception and the challenges she experienced as an author from the former-Yugoslavian world. Malakaj noted the ways in which Bastašić’s work is often read on a superficial level that overlooks deeper geopolitical and cultural contexts. He also highlighted how Bastašić’s literary solidarity and engagement with Palestine led to tensions with her German publishers. In January 2024, Bastašić terminated her contract with S. Fischer Verlag due to the publisher’s refusal to speak about the crisis in Gaza and its censorship of pro-Palestinian voices.
Ervin Malakaj further illuminated how specific post-Yugoslavian references and narrative styles in Fang den Hasen can be difficult to approach for readers outside this geopolitical context, stressing that, while the German translation by Rebekka Zeinzinger and the accompanying glossary provide many useful points for accessing the text, misgivings remain regarding the author’s treatment by both publisher and press.
Malakaj discussed theoretical frameworks that influence his analysis of Bastašić’s work, particularly the writings of Sara Ahmed and the concepts of racialization and structural whiteness. He also spoke about historical and cultural perspectives that have positioned the Balkans as 'Europe’s periphery,' along with the orientalizing gaze this has engendered.
In the round of Q&A that followed, Dr. Anna von Rath and the public asked Malakaj about the reception of Bastašić’s works in different cultures and the challenges of translation.
This presentation drew from extremely personal experiences, and we are grateful for Malakaj’s willingness to share these with us. The online lecture was presented in cooperation with poco.lit. – Platform for postcolonial literatures in the widest sense.
Malakaj discussed the works of Bosnian author Lana Bastašić, particularly her novel Fang den Hasen [Catch the Rabbit] and the short story collection Mann im Mond [Man in the Moon]. He described her works’ German reception and the challenges she experienced as an author from the former-Yugoslavian world. Malakaj noted the ways in which Bastašić’s work is often read on a superficial level that overlooks deeper geopolitical and cultural contexts. He also highlighted how Bastašić’s literary solidarity and engagement with Palestine led to tensions with her German publishers. In January 2024, Bastašić terminated her contract with S. Fischer Verlag due to the publisher’s refusal to speak about the crisis in Gaza and its censorship of pro-Palestinian voices.
Ervin Malakaj further illuminated how specific post-Yugoslavian references and narrative styles in Fang den Hasen can be difficult to approach for readers outside this geopolitical context, stressing that, while the German translation by Rebekka Zeinzinger and the accompanying glossary provide many useful points for accessing the text, misgivings remain regarding the author’s treatment by both publisher and press.
Malakaj discussed theoretical frameworks that influence his analysis of Bastašić’s work, particularly the writings of Sara Ahmed and the concepts of racialization and structural whiteness. He also spoke about historical and cultural perspectives that have positioned the Balkans as 'Europe’s periphery,' along with the orientalizing gaze this has engendered.
In the round of Q&A that followed, Dr. Anna von Rath and the public asked Malakaj about the reception of Bastašić’s works in different cultures and the challenges of translation.
This presentation drew from extremely personal experiences, and we are grateful for Malakaj’s willingness to share these with us. The online lecture was presented in cooperation with poco.lit. – Platform for postcolonial literatures in the widest sense.