Elie Wiesel has long been a pivotal figure in Holocaust discourse. His book Night was one of the earliest works by a survivor and continues to be a significant point of reference in Holocaust literature. He went on to become an incredibly prolific writer, working in a range of genres. His death in July 2016 invites examination of what form his literary, political, and cultural legacy will take. Despite a large and distinguished body of scholarship on his writing, many of his works, particularly his more recent fiction such as The Sonderberg Case (2010) and Hostage (2012), have yet to be subject to sustained critical analysis. This volume seeks to bring together insights into Wiesel’s novels.
The editors invite abstracts on any work concerning Wiesel’s novels. Topics may include:
- Wiesel and the contextualization of the Holocaust within Jewish history
- The relationship between Wiesel’s fiction and non-fiction
- Hypertextuality in Wiesel’s work
- The role of trauma Wiesel’s fiction
- The development of Wiesel’s voice as a writer
- Wiesel’s political voice in his fiction
- Religious and theological exploration through fiction
Please direct any questions and 500-600 word proposals to Victoria Nesfield (victoria.nesfield@york.ac.uk) and Philip Smith (Philip.Smith@cob.edu.bs) by the end of January 2017. Final pieces will be 8,000 words, due June 2017.