Light in August : Melville and Conrad in Poland

Abstract

"Literature is among the most important means of furthering understanding of ideas and differing visions of the world among people and societies. Thanks to its dual role of preserving the past and enlightening the present, great literature unites generations and brings nations closer.”’ This vision came alive in Szczecin, where many scholars of various nationalities (American, Polish, English, Japanese, Turkish, Spanish, to name a few) pored over the writings of Herman Melville and Joseph Conrad. It was a unique occasion for academics to make “both ends meet,” those of theory and of practice, since theoretical divagations were aired among breath-taking windjammers of thought." (fragm.)