Political Novel in Europe Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
The Adam Mickiewicz University team, as part of the international CAPONEU Consortium, warmly invites you to the annual conference Political Novel in Europe Between Democracy and Authoritarianism. The main academic sessions will take place from 22-24 April 2026, with accompanying public events starting on 21 April.
Why is there a constant need to examine politics through the lens of the novel? Historically, this unique literary form has proven highly effective in illuminating the complex relationship between pro-democratic and pro-authoritarian tendencies. This is why the Political Novel in Europe (PNE) will be the focal point of our conference—serving as a vital aesthetic space where the tension between these opposing political impulses is constantly revealed, embodied, and rigorously debated.
To comprehensively explore these dynamics, the event bridges the gap between theory and practice. The program features both formal academic panels and engaging public meetings with acclaimed writers.
PNE will be analyzed by a highly interdisciplinary group of experts, including:
- Literary scholars and political theorists
- Cultural studies experts
- Policy makers with local, national, and EU experience
- Contemporary writers
Programm
All times are given in GMT+1.
Wednesday, 22 Apr 2026
10.00
Opening of the Conference
10.30
Keynote
-
Bogumila Kaniewska (AMU Poznań): Can a Children’s Novel Be Political?
11.45
Political Novel in Europe 1
Chair: Magda Potok (AMU Poznań)
- Zrinka Božić (University of Zagreb): The Political Novel between Dictatorship and Democracy. Narrating After and Reading from Afar
- Rossie Artemis (University of Nicosia): Authoritarian Logic, Moral Absurdity, and Complex Equality in Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita
14.30
Political Novel in Europe 2
Chair: Sarah Colvin (University of Cambridge)
- Mark Devenney (University of Brighton): Overdetermination and Pluralisation. Thinking the complex politics of the novel with Jenny Erpenbeck
- Hannah Vögele (University of Brighton): Minor Detail(s)? Political Affects and Fictions of the Novel in Germany
- Nenad Ivić (University of Zagreb): Paper tigers of 68. Authority, micro-authoritarianism, revolution and literature
- Aurore Peyroles (ZfL): The system and the fragment. Memory, power and Authoritarianism in Perec’s W or the Memory of Childhood
Thursday, 23 Apr 2026
10.00
Policy Makers Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
Chair: Tomasz Mizerkiewicz (AMU Poznań)
- Paulina Stochniałek (AMU Poznań): Between Centrally Controlled Power and Democracy. Activities of Local Government
- Anna Hryniewiecka (Zamek): Practicing Democracy in the Public Cultural Institution
11.15
Cosmopolitanism and Empowerment: The Political Novel in Action
Chair: Zrinka Božić (University of Zagreb)
Panel: Karin Doolan (Institute for Social Research in Zagreb), Daniela Dora (University of Cambridge), Andreas Lipowsky (Max Weber Forum for South Asian Studies, New-Delhi), Liam Mullally (The Autonomy Institute, London), Lana Pukanić (Institute for Political Ecology, Zagreb), Tomasz Umerle (Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań)
- Paper 1: The Political Novel in School Curricula. A Critical Analysis of Literary Selection Across Four European Countries
- Paper 2: The Political Novel in the Classroom. The Educator’s Perspective
- Interactive Session 3: Translating Research Insights into Educational Policies
15.00
Defining the Genre Again. Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
Chair: Aurore Peyroles (ZfL)
- Mirela Dakić Kučeković (University of Zagreb): The Impure Matter of the Novel. On a Sociological Understanding of the Literary Text
- Filip Kučeković (University of Zagreb): Political Novel as Democratization of the Genre
- Miriam Schwarz (University of Cambridge): Failed Narrative Resurrection in Adania Shibli’s Minor Detail. A Reconsideration of Free Indirect Discourse in Light of Epistemic Injustice
18.00
Book Presentation
Chair: Tomasz Mizerkiewicz (AMU Poznań)
- Sarah Colvin (University of Cambridge): Literature and Epistemic Injustice. Power and Resistance in the Contemporary Novel (Routledge 2026)
Thursday, 23 Apr 2026
10.00
Keynote
- Ewa Domańska (AMU Poznań, Stanford University): Necromorphs. Exhumation and the Political Imagination of the Dead
11.15
History and Political Novel. Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
Chair: Mark Devenney (University of Brighton)
- Ante Antabak (University of Zagreb): Where Political Readings Go Astray: The Case of (Josef) K.
- Anna Gawarecka (AMU Poznań): Old and New Totalitarianisms in Czech Postmodern Fiction
- Tomasz Mizerkiewicz (AMU Poznań): Clarifying, Choosing, Responding. Political Novel’s Processing the Tension Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
15.00
Political Novel in Europe. Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
Chair: Błażej Warkocki (AMU Poznań)
- Piotr Śliwiński (AMU Poznań): Poetics. Politics. Performance. About Manifestations and Demonstrations
- Karlo Držaić (University of Zagreb): Reading Socialism. The Novel and Political Practice among Croatian Socialists at the End of the Long Nineteenth Century
- Tomasz Mizerkiewicz (AMU Poznań): Clarifying, Choosing, Responding. Political Novel’s Processing the Tension Between Democracy and Authoritarianism
- Concluding remarks
Accompanying Events — Writer’s Meetings
Tuesday, 21 April 2026
(in Łazęga Poznańska, Święty Marcin 75)
18.00
Chair: Tomasz Mizerkiewicz (AMU Poznań)
- Hubert Klimko-Dobrzaniecki: The Novel in Poland and Europe
Wednesday, 22 Apr 2026
(in Centrum Kultury Zamek, Święty Marcin 80/82)
18.30
Chair: Dawid Borucki (AMU Poznań)
- Julia Fiedorczuk: The Crisis of Democracy in the Contemporary Novel
Friday, 24 April 2026
(in Dom Książki, Gwarna 13a)
18.00
Cair: Gerard Ronge (AMU Poznań)
- Ignacy Karpowicz: Can a Novel Pass Judgment?