Published : 2025-06-27

Crossing Borders and Encounters with Polish Culture: Katharina Zimmermann’s Das Freudenkind and Michael Zeller’s Café Europa

Abstract

This article aims to analyse two novels exploring Swiss and German perceptions of Polish society, culture, and mentality. The authors of both novels undertook journeys to Poland, utilising their observations and experiences to construct compelling narratives. The main focus of this article is Katharina Zimmermann’s Das Freudenkind, as it addresses the lesser-known history of Polish-Swiss relations during the Second World War. It simultaneously offers a contemporary view of Poland through the eyes of a Swiss woman. Michael Zeller’s novel Café Europa presents the author’s extensive reflections and thoughts on his own experiences of Poland post-1989. Zeller examines Polish society, drawing comparisons with his own culture. Both novels accentuate the relationship between two distinct cultures and the challenges encountered by a traveller in an unfamiliar country.

Keywords:

internment, Polish-Swiss relations, history, cultural differences, love, travel



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Głuszko-Boczoń, E. (2025). Crossing Borders and Encounters with Polish Culture: Katharina Zimmermann’s Das Freudenkind and Michael Zeller’s Café Europa. Facta Simonidis, 18(1), 229–252. https://doi.org/10.56583/fs.2412

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Wydawnictwo Akademii Zamojskiej
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Akademia Zamojska
ul. Pereca 2, 22-400 Zamość
tel. 84 638 34 44
fax 84 638 35 00
e-mail: rektorat@akademiazamojska.edu.pl
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