Exile as a Cultural Symbol

Exile has become a potent symbol of Polish and Irish cultures. Historical, political and cultural predicaments of both countries have branded them as diasporic nations: but, in Adorno's dictum, for an exile writing becomes home.

Olszewska's Perspective

Olszewska offers a multifaceted picture of the figure of exile in postwar Poland and Ireland, juxtaposing politics and culture: whereas Irish exile appears more in an economic and cultural context, the essence of Polish exile is political.

Literary Depictions of Exile

This comparative study of works by Polish and Irish authors - Stanislaw Baranczak, Adam Zagajewski, Marek Hlasko, Kazimierz Brandys, Brian Moore, Desmond Hogan and Paul Muldoon - shows a literature which not only depicts the experience of exile, but which uses exile as a literary device.