Lines of Conflict: European Borders in Fiction, 1945–2015

As yet, little research has been done on the literary treatment of borders, an issue gaining increasing coverage in fiction worldwide. Drawing on the work of Emily Hicks, Johan Schimanski, and Stephen Wolfe, as well as on the wider insights of Border Studies, this essay analyzes the discussion of borders in post-1945 fiction on Europe. Specifically, the essay focuses on the three interrelated concerns—physical borders, bordered identities and cross-border relations—that have dominated the study of geopolitical boundaries in Europe and elsewhere. The material under study includes work by Vladimir Lorchenkov, Herta Müller, Mahi Binebine, Ágota Kristóf, and Miroslav Penkov.