Details of the Shoah. The Holocaust in Polish children’s literature

Abstract

This article examines what role details and other similar artistic devices play in representing the Holocaust in contemporary Polish children’s literature. The focus on the detail often forces a shift in perspective, both in the fine arts and in literature. Focusing on prominent and meaningful details renders the story less direct, and the cruelty of history is revealed through gaps in the narrative. Details stand for the unsaid and refer the reader to extra-textual knowledge. Details also allow one to engage in a game of perspectives: by zooming in and out on specific scenes or events one, alternatively, renders them more or less important. Children’s books about the Holocaust are primarily meant to build memory and post-memory, and employ details to that end. Around and through details, the successive layers of stories may grow.