A memory in exile: Soldados de Salamina by Javier Cercas in the Polish context

Abstract

This article analyzes some aspects of the reception of Javier Cercas’ novel Soldados de Salamina in Poland. This book is considered to be one of the emblematic works of the contemporary postmemorial trend in the Spanish narrative. Therefore, it seems to be appropriate to examine this novel and its Polish translation within the frame of memory studies using the concept of travelling memory. From this perspective, translation is perceived as a medium which transports the memory of past events belonging to a specific group into a different social and historical context. Polish and Spanish memories apparently do not have common points. It turns out, however, that the Polish reading public does not seem interested in the others’ memory, although is willing to accept some of their ways of dealing with the traumatic past.