Europe of dreamers, beggars, and solidarity. Tropes of Central European discourse in Wojciech Kudyba's narrative prose

In my paper I identify a recurring underlying theme in Wojciech Kudyba’s narrative prose: Nazywam się Majdan (“My name is Maidan”, 2015) and Imigranci wracają do domu (“Immigrants Are Returning Home”, 2018). Specifically, I examine what it means to be a Central European and the defining factors of Central European identity in the present time, particularly after the outbreak of the first war between Russia and Ukraine in 2014 and following the initial waves of Polish post-EU accession immigrants returning to their homeland. I aim to explore the reasons for the protagonists’ decisions and the ethical choices implied therein. The background for my analysis will encompass the traditions of Central European discourses, the migrant experience in contemporary Polish prose writing, and the metaphysical currents in Polish literature.