W kręgu polemik i dialogu. Literatura polska na Górnym Śląsku w latach 1922–1939 z perspektywy niemieckiej (PDF 11,91 MB)

Abstract

The article discusses the subject of German-Polish relations in the
field of cultural cooperation in Upper Silesia in the years 1919–1939.
The initial point for reflection is literary texts, essays and articles
published in German-language magazines “Der Oberschlesier” and
“Die Brücke – Most”. There were analyzed and critically assessed
various statements by German historians, regionalists, writers, publishers and journalists, such as Karl Kaisig, Heinrich Koitz or August Scholtis, about poetry and prose written in Polish in Upper
Silesia and about German-Polish cultural exchange. The analysis
proves that magazines, on the one hand, served as bridge builders
in the process of agreement between two nations, on the other, they
were a tool of political propaganda focused on shaping the attitudes and opinions of their readers. It should be emphasized that only
a small group of German journalists and historians knew and read Polish literature. The summary reflection recalls the important
monograph of the German literary scholar and writer Arno Lubos,
“Geschichte der Literatur Schlesiens”.