Kershaw analyses Irene Nemirovsky's literary production in its relationship to the literary and cultural context of the inter-war period in France, exploring the cultural exchange between France and Russia and the political implications of Nemirovsky's fiction--particularly the enthusiastic reception of her work in far-right anti-Semitic journals.
Literature and Memory in France and Britain from the 1940s to the 1960s
Focusing on the international circulation of literature, this book explores how translated war fiction shapes cultural memories of the Second World War and the Holocaust. It analyzes key French war novels and their English translations, revealing the wartime publishing structures that enabled literary exchanges. The author discusses the translators' strategies, the interplay between translated works and national memories, and the complexities of multilingualism in war writing, offering insights into the political and ethical dimensions of representing war trauma in fiction.
Irène Némirovsky and the Cultural Landscape of Inter-war France
The analysis delves into Irene Némirovsky's literary works within the inter-war French context, highlighting the cultural exchange between France and Russia. It examines the political ramifications of her fiction, particularly how it was embraced by far-right anti-Semitic publications, shedding light on the complex interplay between her writing and the sociopolitical climate of the time.