Literary Constructions of the City and Immigrant Characters in Contemporary European Fiction

Marijana Mandić; Sonja Novak

doi:10.59045/nalans.2025.82

Authors

Marijana Mandić Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1456-8628
Sonja Novak Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8598-8166

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59045/nalans.2025.82

Keywords:

crisis, urban spaces, immigrant characters, home sentiment, contemporary fiction

Abstract

As part of the research project “Analysis of Systems in Crisis and of New Consciousness in 21st Century Literature” which examines the phenomenon of crisis in contemporary English-speaking, German-speaking and Croatian literature, this paper investigates the construction of urban spaces and their relationships towards literary urban spaces and how these urban spaces influence integration processes. The theoretical foundation for the analysis is based on Juri Lotman's notions of home and anti-home and Umberto Eco's semantic codes. The analysis will be conducted on four contemporary European novels: Özdamar’s Seltsame Sterne starren zur Erde (2003), Shafak’s Honor (2011), Knapp’s Der Gipfeldieb (2015), and Gavran’s Između (2022). In three of the examined cases, the new city remains a temporary residence for the immigrants, whereas in only one novel (Knapp's), the immigrant protagonist manages to integrate into the new urban space. The analysis will reveal the marginalized position of immigrant characters in the urban space within the literary context and demonstrate that the urban space is an important factor in their failed integration.

Author Biographies

Marijana Mandić, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek

Marijana Mandić is currently a research and teaching assistant at the Department of German Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. Her current research topics cover comparative literature, with special emphasis on German, and Croatian contemporary fiction and drama.
Sonja Novak, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia

Sonja Novak is currently Associate Professor and Chair of German Literature at the Department of German Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, Croatia, where she teaches history of German literature and courses on literary theory.

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