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This academic event focuses on the role, the place and the commitment of the writer in today’s world. The aim of the event is to highlight the manner in which various literary biographies converge and also to stress the differences which are the product of certain historical, social and geopolitical conditions, Polish or otherwise.17/11/11—18/11/11ULB (Slobosch Campus, Main Library, room 2 VIS) | Caravan'SérailRue Lesbroussart 47, 1050 Brussels

Three themes underpin the symposium:
1. Captivating Europe or reading Czesław Miłosz today
2. The commitment of the writer in the 20th century
3. The generational conflict amongst writers today.

Czesław Miłosz’s work, an inherent part of Europe’s cultural heritage, forms a practical point of departure, as it allows us to transpose the issue of the role of the writer onto a contemporary canvas. The event therefore stresses the image of the commitment of the writer hic et nunc. The key questions are as follows: in practice, does this commitment still make sense in today’s world? What meaning can it have in a given place and time?

More about the Symposium
http://www.culturepolonaise.eu/3,3,357,en

FIRST PART:  Captivating Europe, or Reading Czesław Miłosz Today

The Captive Mind (1953) and Native Realm (1958) remain key reference points for anyone wishing to acquaint themselves with the rich work of Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004). In this year (2011), dedicated to the 1980 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, we would like to steer the debate towards the current state of this Europe which Miłosz considered so crucial, and which is addressed in many texts which seek to reinterpret his way of thinking and shine a light on the leitmotifs which endure. When one considers the unifying trends which are increasingly in evidence in Europe, the vision of the latter held by the poet, who associated the continent with democratic values and freedom of expression, seems more relevant and accurate than ever today. As for the question as to how power should be exercised, it is just as topical as when Miłosz first hammered it home. Miłosz’s work is an inherent part of Europe’s cultural heritage and it would appear apposite to highlight the influence of translations, poetry and essays penned by the Sejny poet on XXIst century literature. The biography of Czesław Miłosz will form a practical point of departure, as it allows us to transpose the issue of the role of the writer onto a contemporary canvas by asking ourselves whether there is still space within our tangible reality for a poet-prophet or if the voice of a spiritual or ethical guide can still be heard. 

SECOND PART: the commitment of the writer in the XXth century

In the XIXth century, Polish writers, like writers of other nationalities, allied themselves to social and national causes on the future of their country and that of the world. This commitment was seen as fundamental and a matter of course. In the XXth century, the image of the nation, society and humanity underwent a significant change; now, as the second decade of the XXIst century dawns, there is a strong temptation to redefine the deeply-rooted values which drive Polish and foreign contemporary writers. And it is to this temptation that we shall succumb: in the second part of the conference, we shall therefore stress the image of the commitment of the writer hic et nunc. The questions we shall ask ourselves are as follows: in practice, does this commitment still make sense in today’s world? What meaning can it have in a given place and time? What influence can it have on the way in which social models are formed? What are its limits? How far can literature go as an instrument of communication and social understanding? What impact can the way a writer’s output is received have on the reader and the author?

THIRD PART: the generational conflict amongst writers today

The third part of the symposium will be given over to the panorama of new literary voices emanating from (very) young authors who put forward their own vision of the medium which they employ, a vision which may not always develop in the field of commitment to social causes. This subject would seem to be fundamental when we consider the work of those conducting historical and theoretical research, since it highlights a phenomenon that borders on intimacy, being, as it is, deployed outside of frameworks and models. However, alongside this intimacy, we must admit that young authors are, without a doubt, trend setters, who push these trends towards specific literary (anti) ideals. On occasion, their literary reality strays from the one in which they create their work, and in so doing, they give new roles to literature. How can we define this intimacy, what are these roles and what new trends can we detect? These are the questions to which we would like to provide some initial answers, whilst giving thought to the notion of commitment explored in the previous sections.