Transformations and references to German literary works (Friedrich Nietzsche and Günter Grass) in Stefan Chwin‘s novel “Dolina Radości” [Valley of Joy]

Abstract

In his novel “Dolina Radości” [“Valley of Joy”] Stefan Chwin tackles the subject of metamorphoses. In this article I will talk about the issue of transformations in “Dolina radości”. The hero of the novel is a makeup­-artist and that is why metamorphoses are at the center of the action. Noteworthy are also transformations connected with the most important political events and the most important places in Europe in the 20th century for example in the Polish city of Gdańsk which Chwin writes about. The events of December 1970 are described in an episode of the novel but are a very important element of the whole book. This article first presents references to German literary works (Friedrich Nietzsche, Günter Grass, Novalis) which are the part of the literature of German­-Polish dialogue.