Books by Maciej Junkiert
The book contains three selected articles by Kazimierz Brodziński, Jan Śniadecki and Maurycy Moch... more The book contains three selected articles by Kazimierz Brodziński, Jan Śniadecki and Maurycy Mochnacki, accompanied by critical commentaries and an introductory essay. The above mentioned played a key role in the so-called struggle between the Romantics and the Classicists. The publications of the former between 1818 and 1825 were linked to the birth of Romanticism in Polish literature and the departure from neo-classical aesthetics. The polemic was both generational and political, while the discussion of literary topics in the Polish press was subject to the rules of censorship, and concerned not only literary matters but also the question of whether Polish culture belonged to particular circles of European civilisation. The aim of this publication is to place the articles in the context of the artistic and historical disputes of the era, and to a lesser extent those that took place in the national arena, as this has already been outlined in detail. The focus will be, in the main, on contexts drawn from German language and culture. The starting point here is the relationship between Kazimierz Brodziński’s work and the critical output of Johann Gottfried Herder, followed by articles from Śniadecki and Mochnacki, as to how Herder and Brodziński praised or denied the rightfulness of drawing on and subsequently imitating foreign literatures.
The book discusses the development of Polish studies on Greek antiquity in the first half of the ... more The book discusses the development of Polish studies on Greek antiquity in the first half of the nineteenth century. Junkiert scrutinizes the relationship of Polish intellectuals with their predecessors in this field in France and the German-speaking culture. The book describes scholarly rivalry between nations in search of their own visions of antiquity. Methodologically, the book develops the vein of classical reception studies. The key figures of this study are Adam Mickiewicz, Joachim Lelewel, and Gottfried Ernst Groddeck.
Praca z pogranicza literaturoznawstwa, historii intelektualnej i historii idei. Jej celem jest pr... more Praca z pogranicza literaturoznawstwa, historii intelektualnej i historii idei. Jej celem jest przeanalizowanie roli, jaką w narodzinach romantycznej recepcji antyku w Polsce odegrał rozwój niemieckiego starożytnictwa z przełomu XVIII i XIX wieku. Kluczowym pojęciem dla Autora jest „Griechenmythos” (mit Greków), czyli szczególne przekonanie werbalizowane na kartach prac naukowych, dzieł literackich i filozoficznych rozpraw o niezwykłej więzi łączącej niemiecką kulturę, historię i język ze światem starożytnej Grecji. To szczególne przekonanie miało swoje wyjątkowe medium i jednocześnie bardzo wyspecjalizowane narzędzie – „Altertumswissenschaften”, nauki starożytnicze ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem filologii klasycznej, która w drugiej połowie XVIII wieku przeszła w Niemczech głęboką przemianę. Rozdział pierwszy stanowi próbę rekonstrukcji mitu Greków w XX-wiecznej tradycji badawczej. Jest to złożony problem podejmowany często w światowej humanistyce, lecz pozostający jak dotąd właściwie nieznanym zjawiskiem w Polsce. Rozdział drugi dotyczy prac naukowych G.E. Groddecka i J. Lelewela i przedstawiono w nim dwie kwestie: stosunek obu badaczy do greckiej historiografii na przykładzie Herodota i Tukidydesa oraz ich interpretacje losów Sparty i Aten, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem konfliktu obu poleis w trakcie wojny peloponeskiej. W trzecim i czwartym rozdziale opisana została działalność wykładowa Adama Mickiewicza z Lozanny i Paryża.
The book is dedicated to the presence of Greek history in the works of Cyprian Norwid. That is, t... more The book is dedicated to the presence of Greek history in the works of Cyprian Norwid. That is, the place where the history of Europe was born. According to the poet, the Greek origins contributed to the creation of mechanisms that make it possible to diagnose the spiritual condition of the contemporary times through analyzing its relation to the Greek myth of the “Golden Age”. Ideologization of the way of presenting the Greek achievements, characteristic of both the Enlightenment and Romanticism, was a proof for Norwid that the image of Greece had been permanently falsified. The process of accumulation of experience, treated as a general human need to preserve the past events and generations in memory, had been interrupted and marginalized. Therefore, Norwid tries to merge the spiritual fate of Europe and save it from oblivion. In the specificity of the Hellenic way of conceptualizing reality, however, lie not only the advantages, but also serious danger. The poet accumulates knowledge in order to accurately diagnose problems that people in the West have inherited along with the Greek origins of civilization.
Ancient Greek history holds a special place in the works of many 19th-c. writers. The same goes f... more Ancient Greek history holds a special place in the works of many 19th-c. writers. The same goes for Cyprian Norwid, one of the most eminent poets in the history of Polish literature, a thinker, and an artist. This book scrutinizes Norwid’s fascination with Greek history and culture, especially his peculiar synthesis of Greek thought and Christianity. It focuses on the key themes of the relationship of Platonism with early Christian writings and their presence in Norwid’s contemporary culture, the opposition of memory and history in 19th-c. literature and social life, and the image of the artist and its influence on social life in modern everyday. The book analyzes Norwid’s oeuvre in a broad comparison with representatives of French, German, and British literature and the humanities.
The purpose of this book is to analyse the role which the development of the German Altertumswiss... more The purpose of this book is to analyse the role which the development of the German Altertumswissenschaft at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries had (in combination with the English-French intellectual base) on the birth of the Romantic reception of the ancient traditions in Poland.
Rozdział drugi dotyczy historii Grecji, obserwowanej na przykładzie notatników Norwida, który na ... more Rozdział drugi dotyczy historii Grecji, obserwowanej na przykładzie notatników Norwida, który na podstawie rozmaitych lektur podjął próbę sprecyzowania i wyrażenia własnych poglądów na greckie dzieje. Lektura notatników pozwala zrozumieć, że w opinii Norwida Grecja wyłoniła się w efekcie ścierania wpływów różnorodnych kręgów kulturowych, babilońskich, perskich, egipskich, fenickich i pelazgijskich. Proces ten wskazywał na dalekowschodnie pochodzenie większości zjawisk, charakterystycznych dla kultury greckiej, a pomimo to, jak wielokrotnie zauważał poeta, dorobek cywilizacji greckiej przez nikogo nie został ani przewyższony, ani zakwestionowany.
The book is dedicated to the presence of Greek history in the works of Cyprian Norwid. That is, t... more The book is dedicated to the presence of Greek history in the works of Cyprian Norwid. That is, the place where the history of Europe was born. According to the poet, the Greek origins contributed to the creation of mechanisms that make it possible to diagnose the spiritual condition of the contemporary times through analyzing its relation to the Greek myth of the “Golden Age”. Ideologization of the way of presenting the Greek achievements, characteristic of both the Enlightenment and Romanticism, was a proof for Norwid that the image of Greece had been permanently falsified. The process of accumulation of experience, treated as a general human need to preserve the past events and generations in memory, had been interrupted and marginalized. Therefore, Norwid tries to merge the spiritual fate of Europe and save it from oblivion. In the specificity of the Hellenic way of conceptualizing reality, however, lie not only the advantages, but also serious danger. The poet accumulates knowledge in order to accurately diagnose problems that people in the West have inherited along with the Greek origins of civilization
Papers by Maciej Junkiert
Central Europe, 2024
This article aims to present the evolution of Polish historical-literary narratives in the 19th c... more This article aims to present the evolution of Polish historical-literary narratives in the 19th century. The historical-literary syntheses undertaken in the article began to emerge when the aesthetics of Romanticism began to wane in Polish literary life. However, Romanticism remained a strong intellectual force, and the ideas associated with it determined how humanistic reflection should develop, not only in literary studies, but also in historiography and philosophy. This article endeavours to provide answers to three fundamental questions: How did literary historians view their role and place in society? How did they define the role of historical-literary reflection in the process of forming a national identity? And finally, what was the salvatory aspect of their mission and why was interpreting the past so crucial? Three examples come from the 1840s, and one from the very end of the century. The former show how Romanticism paved the way for historical-literary narratives in Polish literature, while the latter illustrates the modernist reaction and overcoming of the former model.
Welt der Slawen, 2023
This article deals with the evolution of Polish philological reflection in the context of the dev... more This article deals with the evolution of Polish philological reflection in the context of the development of German philology and literary research. Polish literary research in the 19th century developed on the basis of two main models. Thee first derived from the dispute that Romantic authors had with university philologists. The second used the methodology of historical-philological research. In this article, I try to prove that the debate between these different scientific approaches played a key role in the formation of Polish historical literary research in the 19th century.
Polen und Deutsche in Europa. GRENZRÄUME
In dem bekannten Buch von Larry Wolff (Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the M... more In dem bekannten Buch von Larry Wolff (Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment) erscheint eine These, dass manche Werke von Lessing und Voltaire für die Gestaltung westeuropäischer Vorstellung von Osteuropa verantwortlich seien.
Sie haben zu einer gewissen Orientalisierung des Ostens geführt, die in der Aufklärungsliteratur, sowie der Literatur der späteren Epochen als ein Raum für alternative politische, gesellschaftliche und zivilisatorische Lösung dargestellt wurde. Das Ziel des Referats ist diese Ansicht mit dem französichsprachigen Drama von Adam Mickiewicz „Konfederaci barscy“( Les confédérés de Bar) zu konfrontieren – einem Werk, das gleichzeitig in der polnischen, französischen und deutschen literarischen Tradition tief verwurzelt ist.
Lelewel interdyscyplinarny, 2022
Artykuł przybliża niektóre aspekty sporu z początków XIX w. o to, który z fakultetów odgrywa kluc... more Artykuł przybliża niektóre aspekty sporu z początków XIX w. o to, który z fakultetów odgrywa kluczową rolę w kształtowaniu nowoczesnego człowieka i jego relacji z przeszłością. Na przykładzie Joachima Lelewela i jego dzieła z zakresu teorii historiografii zastanawiam się, w jaki sposób korzystał z aktualnych debat metodologicznych i historycznych w obszarze niemieckiej humanistyki. Punktem wyjścia jest filologia i przeszłość rozumiana jako tekst.
This article takes a look at some aspects of the dispute in the early nineteenth century over which faculty plays a key role in shaping modern man and his relationship with the past. Using Joachim Lelewel and his work on the theory of historiography as an example, I consider how he drew on current methodological and historical debates in the field of German humanities. The starting point is philology and the past understood as a text.
Poznań Slavic Studies, 2022
The article describes two accounts of Poland and the culture of its people. The first of these da... more The article describes two accounts of Poland and the culture of its people. The first of these dates from 1784 and was written by the Marquis de Ségur, a French diplomat travelling to St Petersburg. The second, from 1840, was written by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz, at the time working as a professor at the Collège de France in Paris. I try to show the most important differences between the Enlightenment and Romantic images of Poland. An important context is provided by Larry Wolff’s monograph, which 30 years ago initiated a new phase in research on the European invention of Eastern Europe.
Pamiętnik Literacki, 2022
The author of the paper attempts to reconsider the relations between Adam Mickiewicz and Weltlite... more The author of the paper attempts to reconsider the relations between Adam Mickiewicz and Weltliteratur and discloses the factors referring to the idea, formulated for the first time by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, that played special function in the Polish poet’s output. As based on Paris lectures, particularly the first five of them, the author insights into the way in which Mickiewicz takes advantage of world literature and discusses the context of Slavonic studies debate that took place at that time.
Pamiętnik Literacki, 2022
The review discusses Jana-Katharina Mende’s book "Das Konzept des Messianismus in der polnischen,... more The review discusses Jana-Katharina Mende’s book "Das Konzept des Messianismus in der polnischen, französischen und deutschen Literatur der Romantik. Eine mehrsprachige Konzeptanalyse" (The Concept of Messianism in Polish, French, and German Romantic Literature, 2020), a monographic depiction of the concept of Messianism in Adam Mickiewicz’s "Prelekcje paryskie" (Paris Lectures). The reflections included into the lectures allow to present the author’s own concept of Messianism functioning in Polish, French, and German—the languages in which the lectures were published.
Ruch Literacki, 2021
This article examines the problems facing a comparative study of the reception of the idea of rev... more This article examines the problems facing a comparative study of the reception of the idea of revolution in some selected writings of G.W.F. Hegel and Joachim Lelewel. Paying due attention to the specificity of the philosophical and historical approach, the article analyses the similarities and differences in Hegel's and Lelewel's appraisals of the revolutionary legacy. It also brings to light a misrepresentation of Lelewel's take on the subject in the German translation of his writings. That said, Hegel's thought remains of vital importance for both Lelewel, who is not convinced by it, and his translator H.J. Handschuch, who eagerly embraces it.
Pamiętnik Literacki, 2021
The article examines the 19th century evolution of history of ideas and its relatedness to litera... more The article examines the 19th century evolution of history of ideas and its relatedness to literary studies. The debate whether philology, philosophy, and history are autonomous humanistic disciplines or they make up a part of what is informally referred to as “humanities” or “humanistic sciences” lasted for the whole century. The idea, seen as a notion connected with philosophy of cognition, became the central part of the debate. In the present paper I suggest an interpretation of Cyprian Norwid’s essay Milczenie (Silence) as a text designed by the poet to enter this debate.
Romantyzm uniwersytecki: kulturotwórcza rola ośrodków akademickich w pierwszej połowie XIX wieku, 2019
The article offers an analysis of the selected elements related to the foundation of a university... more The article offers an analysis of the selected elements related to the foundation of a university in Berlin by Wilhelm von Humboldt. The new university and its influence on the development of national culture contributed to a radical change of relations between the state administration and scholars. The author discusses the beginnings of modern academic discourse as a means of constructing a national identity based on the past. The analysis predominantly refers to "Reden an die Deutschen Nation" by J.G. Fichte and "Literatura słowiańska" by A. Mickiewicz.
Truth and Falsehood in Science and the Arts, 2020
The article contains an analysis of the genealogy of 19th-century Polish research in the field of... more The article contains an analysis of the genealogy of 19th-century Polish research in the field of literary history. My inquiry contains a comparison between literary research in Germany and in Poland. From this point of view, literary history was an important factor in the process of building a modern nation. Furthermore, literary historians also played the role of indispensable authorities on the cultural past and present: in Germany as professors of universities, and in Poland during the partitions as intellectuals and writers.
"Porównania", 2018
Kuziak Michał, Nawrocki Bartłomiej, red. Romantyzm środkowoeuropejski w kontekście postkolonialny... more Kuziak Michał, Nawrocki Bartłomiej, red. Romantyzm środkowoeuropejski w kontekście postkolonialnym. Cz. 1. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo IBL PAN, 2017. 743 S.
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Books by Maciej Junkiert
Papers by Maciej Junkiert
Sie haben zu einer gewissen Orientalisierung des Ostens geführt, die in der Aufklärungsliteratur, sowie der Literatur der späteren Epochen als ein Raum für alternative politische, gesellschaftliche und zivilisatorische Lösung dargestellt wurde. Das Ziel des Referats ist diese Ansicht mit dem französichsprachigen Drama von Adam Mickiewicz „Konfederaci barscy“( Les confédérés de Bar) zu konfrontieren – einem Werk, das gleichzeitig in der polnischen, französischen und deutschen literarischen Tradition tief verwurzelt ist.
This article takes a look at some aspects of the dispute in the early nineteenth century over which faculty plays a key role in shaping modern man and his relationship with the past. Using Joachim Lelewel and his work on the theory of historiography as an example, I consider how he drew on current methodological and historical debates in the field of German humanities. The starting point is philology and the past understood as a text.
Sie haben zu einer gewissen Orientalisierung des Ostens geführt, die in der Aufklärungsliteratur, sowie der Literatur der späteren Epochen als ein Raum für alternative politische, gesellschaftliche und zivilisatorische Lösung dargestellt wurde. Das Ziel des Referats ist diese Ansicht mit dem französichsprachigen Drama von Adam Mickiewicz „Konfederaci barscy“( Les confédérés de Bar) zu konfrontieren – einem Werk, das gleichzeitig in der polnischen, französischen und deutschen literarischen Tradition tief verwurzelt ist.
This article takes a look at some aspects of the dispute in the early nineteenth century over which faculty plays a key role in shaping modern man and his relationship with the past. Using Joachim Lelewel and his work on the theory of historiography as an example, I consider how he drew on current methodological and historical debates in the field of German humanities. The starting point is philology and the past understood as a text.
Das spezifische Verhältnis der deutschen Schriftsteller und Intellektuellen zur Revolution untersuchte Karl Heinz Bohrer und stützte sich dabei auf die Künstlergenerationen der Jahre 1800 und 1830. Seiner Meinung nach haben diejenigen, die die Revolutionsereignisse aus näherer Perspektive betrachtet haben, weniger von ihrer Bedeutung wahrgenommen und blieben in Ausdrucksweise, Metaphorik und Methoden der Bildgebung unter starkem Einfluss der klassizistischen Ästhetik. Erst die nächste Generation werde entscheidend mehr Erfahrungen haben, und in ihrem Verhältnis zur Revolution von 1789 werde sie auch von der Komplexität anderer wichtiger Umbrüche und politscher Konflikte profitieren. Außerdem erscheint, und das ist wohl die Lösung zum Verständnis dieses Problems, eine neue Sprache, eine Ausdrucksweise, die bei der Abbildung der neuen Geschichtsordnung auf Diskrepanz und Unstimmigkeit zwischen Worten und Objekten zurückgreift. Die Welt, auf die die Generation von 1830 schaut, ist zukunftsorientiert und erwartet einen verheerenden Kataklysmus. Die Präfigurationen dieser Katastrophe basieren jedoch auf der Sublimation der französischen Erfahrungen, die als Ankündigung der Vorboten einer „deutschen Revolution“ betrachtet wurden.
Diese Denkweise lässt uns die Situation der polnischen und deutschen Literatur vergleichen. Die polnischen Schriftsteller und Denker der ersten und zweiten Romantikergeneration sind zu spät geboren worden, um Zeugen der Französichen Revolution zu sein. Für die Älteren, wie Kazimierz Brodziński, Aleksander Fredro und Antoni Malczewski werden die Napoleonischen Kriege, insbesondere die Feldzüge von 1807, 1809 und 1812, zur Generationserfahrung. Für die Jüngeren, wie Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki und Zygmunt Krasiński wird das erst der Novemberaufstand sein. Aber es gibt etwas, was sie zusammen als eine für die polnische Kultur besondere Generationenformation erscheinen lässt: Es ist ein für die Polen bahnbrechendes Projekt, das gerade in der Romantik ins Leben gerufen wurde, ein Projekt der Neugestaltung der polnischen Identität in Anlehnung an Kultur, Literatur und die slavische Spiritualität, gefiltert durch das Christentum. Schlüsselmomente dieser Einstellung waren die Erkenntnis der tragischen Situation, in der sich die ganze Nation befand, und die Umorientierung der Aufmerksamkeit auf die Zukunft, von der man eine Chance auf die Wiederherstellung des Vaterlandes erwartete. Dieser Blick nach vorn und die Konzeption der Neugestaltung des Volkes im Geiste der Kulturnation bilden eine besondere polnisch-deutsche Vergleichsebene für die Situation in den ersten Jahrzehnten des 19. Jahrhunderts.
Parmi les différentes époques, il y en a trois qui furent reconnues comme étant décisives pour l’histoire polonaise. Il s’agissait d’abord de l’Antiquité gréco-latine : sa signification universelle pour la culture européenne et l’orientation des Lumières vers l’hellénisme marquèrent fortement la littérature polonaise; le Moyen Âge, au cours duquel le Royaume de Pologne s’était formé en tant que jeune État chrétien ; l’époque des premiers Slaves, autrement dit les origines de l’existence slave. Dans la suite du présent article, je m’intéresse surtout à ce dernier aspect, celui qui concerne l’histoire la plus ancienne des Slaves, tout en gardant les deux autres époques en arrière-plan. L’analyse est mise en perspective avec la fascination, alors naissante, pour les méthodes d’investigation scientifique permettant l’accès aux réalisations antiques de la culture slave ainsi qu’aux traces remontant aux origines de l’histoire slave. Je me concentre sur quelques œuvres-clés de deux poètes, Adam Mickiewicz et Cyprian Norwid, pour qui les liens entre littérature et archéologie constituaient un thème important.
Giambattista Vica is not particularly well known in Polish humanities circles. His absence is all the more striking considering how in recent years Vico’s work and publications have once again found themselves at the heart of debate in literary studies and philosophy. This article aims to summarise the two main traditions evident in the way his work was received in Europe. One focuses on the critique of religion, and the other on anti-modernist opposition to contemporary rationalism. The article outlines the merits and drawbacks of both approaches.
Die Zusammenarbeit beider Universitäten entwickelt sich seit vielen Jahren beständig im wissenschaftlichen und didaktischen Bereich. So gibt es bereits seit 2012 den von beiden Instituten gemeinsam entwickelten Double-Degree-Masterstudiengang „Interkulturelle Studien: Polen und Deutsche in Europa“ / „Studia międzykulturowe: Polacy i Niemcy w Europie“. Die Idee, die den Beteiligten und Studierenden des gemeinsamen Studiengangs vorschwebt, besteht in der Vertiefung der Reflexion aus polonistischer und germanistischer Perspektive über die gegenseitigen deutsch-polnischen Kontakte im Laufe der Jahrhunderte.
Wir sind der Überzeugung, dass der Beitritt Polens zur Europäischen Union nicht das Ende des Dialoges markiert, sondern vielmehr die Chance eröffnen sollte, in der zwischen unseren beiden Nationen geführten Diskussion über die schwierige gemeinsame Geschichte neue Fragen zu stellen. Die Artikel in diesem Band berühren denn auch viele dieser nicht immer leichten Themen aus den gemeinsamen kulturellen und historischen Beziehungen zwischen dem 19. und dem 21. Jahrhundert.
Sie haben zu einer gewissen Orientalisierung des Ostens geführt, die in der Aufklärungsliteratur, sowie der Literatur der späteren Epochen als ein Raum für alternative politische, gesellschaftliche und zivilisatorische Lösung dargestellt wurde. Das Ziel des Referats ist diese Ansicht mit dem französichsprachigen Drama von Adam Mickiewicz „Konfederaci barscy“( Les confédérés de Bar) zu konfrontieren – einem Werk, das gleichzeitig in der polnischen, französischen und deutschen literarischen Tradition tief verwurzelt ist.
There appeared two tendencies among the representatives of the Polish elites. The older generations, which fought for the Polish independence though were later most acutely influenced by the fall of their own country and the following political degradation, usually attempted to figure out and get in touch with the new reality. Writers and politicians showed attempts at expressing the despair following the loss of their country, a disbelief in what had happened and verbalisation of difficult questions about the future of their country that were intellectually foreseeable and strongly rooted in classical topics. Life moved on and forced them to undertake different forms of activity especially in the face of the policy of the oppressor which was tyrannical and discriminating towards the nobility.
Another attitude was presented by the generation which did not remember independent Poland or remembered it only partially and incompletely. There were representatives of this new generation that gave rise to attitudes of open fight for the independence at any price including risking the happiness of the family or their own life. The attitude of the older generation can be subsumed under the figure of Aeneas who presents hope for the rebirth of new Troy in a future that cannot be envisaged and in a shape that is difficult to predict. The younger generation is much closer to the figure of Tyrtaeus who represents relentless subordination in the battle for the nation which needs to survive in spite of unfavourable conditions. It was even more powerful as the post-partition reality was a shock for those who were only entering conscious life.
Jerzy Axer , the Warsaw-based classical philologist, has dealt with the topic of the presence of ancient traditions in the Polish culture for over two decades. According to him, the end of an independent country triggered changes in the paradigm that characterised the attitude towards the Antiquity. The moment in which the necessity to create the Polish nation as an imagined community, redefined it and made it evolve faster. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a political commonwealth with representatives of different nations and religions. After the fall of the country, the processes owing to which the multinational political commonwealth was superseded by a monoethnic community became more powerful. The Poles searched for new historical paragons in the history, paragons that would allow to verbalise their new faith. Athens took the place of Rome in the imagination of the elite whereas Poland felt as the new Greece, though only temporarily. However, the search for identity was aided by a concurrent process of German fascination with Greek Antiquity, Griechenmythos, usually identified with figures including Winckelmann, Wilhelm von Humboldt and Friedrich Schlegel. The Polish artists were watching closely the creation of the German Kulturnation and wondering whether it would not be a chance for survival for themselves. Though they were devoid of their country, they nevertheless tried to rebuild their identity on the basis of the language, literature and the fascination with a broadly understood folk culture.
The reception of Athens looked different from the perspective of Western and Eastern Europe. This stemmed from dissimilar political situations and different stages of the formation of European nations. The ones from Eastern Europe, devoid of their own statehood or controlling only a fraction of their sovereignty (with the exception of Russia), used Greek Antiquity as a model that determined what being part of European culture could (and should) entail. Their interpretations of classical traditions were, on the one hand, mediated by the Western reception; on the other, they attempted to build a direct relationship with the ancient world via existing monuments, local traditions, readings, education, political discourse, presence in literature, architecture, art and historiography.
Our interests focus on over two hundred years of European history, since the outbreak of the French Revolution until the 1989 transformations. We would like for these two receptions of Athenian history and culture to study themselves in the mirror of contemporary Classical Reception Studies. We also wish that they form the basis for a dialog about mutual intellectual and artistic relationships.