Alina Nowak, Oratorium oświęcimskie [Auschwitz Oratorio]

Halina Filipowicz (University of Wisconsin)

Ed. by Roman Koropeckyj, University of California, Los Angeles
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.8.3: Polish Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Ewa M. Thompson (Rice University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1970

Places

Poland (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Drama
Music (any)
- Classical Music
  - Oratorio

Resources

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Alina Nowak’s drama,

Oratorium oświęcimskie

[Auschwitz Oratorio, 1970], is set in Auschwitz-Birkenau. That sentence almost closes the subject. One might be tempted to conclude that we already have sufficient knowledge of this sprawling camp complex that housed Nazi Germany’s largest killing center for European Jews. Such a conclusion, however, would be too hasty. As Peter Hayes, a leading historian of the Holocaust, points out, “Much about what happened [in Auschwitz-Birkenau] still awaits elucidation” (Hayes, 331).

How Auschwitz-Birkenau has come to represent the “capital of the Holocaust” is well documented (Hayes, 330). In contrast, documentation on births in the camp is riddled with gaps and silences. As Hayes reminds us, “more than ninety percent of the people aged

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2175 words

Citation: Filipowicz, Halina. "Oratorium oświęcimskie". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 October 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40585, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Alina Nowak, Oratorium oświęcimskie [Auschwitz Oratorio]

Dates

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Resources

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