Date Approved
2004
Degree Type
Open Access Senior Honors Thesis
Department or School
World Languages
Abstract
Although Jurij Brezan is probably the most prolific, best-known, and most acclaimed Sorbian writer of the 20thcentury, he remains relatively obscure. Brezan is first and foremost a Sorbian writer, although he also writes in German. The most prominent theme in his work is Sorbian identity: the identity of a minority people indigenous to Germany, whose language and culture have been suppressed by their German-speaking neighbors for more than a thousand years. 1Brezan draws on themes from Sorbian folklore in much of his writing, and writes in a surrealistic style reminiscent of myth. Grounding his works in the history and folklore of his people, Brezan mounts a critique of the forces of environmental degradation and globalization that threaten indigenous cultural survival.
Recommended Citation
Muncy, Adrienne Eva, "Postmodern mythology: Ecology, cultural survival, and Sorbian folklore in the works of Jurij Brezan" (2004). Senior Honors Theses and Projects. 86.
https://commons.emich.edu/honors/86
