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Sherds Podcast

Sherds Podcast is a journey through the outskirts of literary history. Each episode, we take an in-depth look at a lesser-known literary text and attempt to give it the critical attention it deserves: books that are criminally overlooked, have struggled to reach an anglophone audience, or are just downright odd. Hosted by Sam Pulham and Rob Prouse.

#29 Cinnamon Shops by Bruno Schulz

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Cinnamon Shops, a collection of short stories by Bruno Schulz, was originally published in Polish in 1934.   In this episode, we discuss this classic of Polish literature in its most recent translation by Madeline G. Levine, which is published by Northwestern University Press.  My guest is Stefan Głowacki and the readings are by Marceli Sommer. 

In these magnificent autobiographical stories, Schulz writes about the sleepy town of Drohobych where grew up, transforming it into a mythical landscape in which every object blushes under the intensity of his gaze.  

Over the course of the episode, we discuss the importance of Schulz’s critical text, mityzacja rzeczywistości (The Mythologising of Reality), which some have called his manifesto.  We also debate his similarity to Franz Kafka, and examine the figure of the father in Schulz’s aesthetic project.  

The artwork for this episode is ‘Night Walk’ by Alicja Nikodem, which she based on Shculz’s stories.  More of her work can be found here: http://www.alicjanikodem.com/

 Bibliography:

Regions of the Great Heresy: Bruno Schulz, a Biographical Portrait by Jerzy Ficowski (W. W. Norton, 2003), trans. Theodosia S. Robertson

Opowiadania. Wybór esejów i listów (Wydawnictwo ossolineum, 1989) ed. Jerzy Jarzębski 

LiteratureSam Pulhambrunoschulz, cinnamonshops, literaturapolska, thestreetofcrocodiles, polishliterature, jerzyficowski, madelineglevine