Cynthia Haven

In Poland, I will study and write about the social, cultural, historical and political context that gave rise to one of the most stunning bodies of literature in the 20th century, including poets Milosz, Herbert, Szymborska, Rosewicz, Swir, and Wat, and (in a later generation) Zagajewski, but also including the prose of Gombrowicz, Andrzejewski, and others. Not only will I study how this difficult, little-regarded language fostered one of the great world literatures of the last century, but I will also investigate how that legacy is interpreted by a new generation.

Between 2005 and 2009 the Institute for Human Sciences at Boston University also awards Milena Jesenská Fellowships to US journalists for research stays of up to three months at the IWM in Vienna.