Project Description:

The project’s goal is to introduce the Polish reader to the Œuvre of the almost unknown literary- and culturally historian, translator, publisher and critic Heinrich Olschowsky. His achievements in relation to Poland can only be compared to those of Rolf Fieguth’s and German Ritz’ in West-Germany and Switzerland, whereby he even surpasses them in some respects. Unlike the aforementioned, whose works are available in book form, Olschowsky’s influence was limited to specialists – with the release of this planned volume he would celebrate his debut on the Polish book market. This is the result of the distrust and contemptuousness with which East-German sciences and the cultural sector was viewed by the Polish society although measures like the mandatory international friendship were taken (this trend continued even after 1989). In the case of Olschowsky the distrust was further heightened by the fact that he was born 1939 in Upper Silesia and was subject to mandatory Polish socialization after the war. Thereafter he requested his departure from Poland which was granted in 1957. His forced socialization however didn’t turn into abhorrence against the Polish culture but rather a persistent fascination with it. Results of the fascination, that combine academic systematic with critical-essayistic panache are now supposed to be made accessible to Polish readers.