Polish and English Translations of Horst Bienek and the Question of Silesian Identity

Horst Bienek (1930-1990) was one of the greatest German writers of the twentieth century. He was born in Gleiwitz, in Upper Silesia, and his works contain many references to Silesian culture and language. This, however, is often overlooked in his translations, both into Polish and English. It seems that Bienek’s Germanness is overwhelming for his translators who see in him a contemporary embodiment of Sehnsuht – a nostalgic desire for the past. However, the most important aspect of Bienek’s writing is his multiculturalism, expressed in the use of toponyms, but also dialectical lexical elements. They play an important role in the work of the Upper Silesian writer, because thanks to them it is possible to express the historical truth of the complicated relations between Poles, Silesians and Germans.