A weekend in Wroclaw, and the Submission of the Thesis

Well it's been slightly longer than I hoped between posts, but between a trip to Poland, a week in Wales and submitting my monstrous thesis I've not had much internet time! 

Yes, that's right - it's gone. Actually gone. Submitted and sent off to my two examiners a week and a half ago. So far I have found 3 typos but I haven't read it too thoroughly yet. Urrrrgh. 

Before that momentous, and if I'm honest entirely traumatic, event however C and I jetted off to Wroclaw in Poland for the wedding of two university friends (it's pronounced vrotzwaf). I was slightly distracted by the imminent submission of thesis, but still had an amazing time. It's a truly lovely city, I'd been lucky enough to visit before during my year abroad in 2008 but it's been developed a lot and rebuilt even since then. The city had an interesting and troubled history - originally Polish back in the middle ages it has since been part of Bohemia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was annexed by Prussia in the Napoleonic Wars in 1742. After German unification in 1871 the city (Breslau in German) was the sixth largest city in the German empire. After 1945 it was part of territory ceded to Poland when the German border was moved to the Oder-Neisse river, and it is again Polish.

It is really stunning today with lots of lovely restored buildings (it was heavily damaged during World War Two). As we were there for such a short time and we had a wedding for one day we didn't do a lot of sightseeing, it was also about 40 degrees so we mostly sought shade (!) But here are a few pictures of the old city around the very impressive Market Square. I'd really recommend Wroclaw for a weekend break, it's easy to get to, very cheap, the weather is nice and the city is beautiful :)

Lots of churches and little winding streets, perfect for meandering :) There are also a series of dwarves dotted around the city, which have a history as a symbol of political opposition under communist rule; they were used as anti-government grafitti. Essentially the authorities couldn't arrest people for drawing dwarves without looking rather foolish. The dwarves are everywhere, you have to keep your eyes peeled! Here are some of my favourites

And finally, the last photo of this barrage of photos I promise (!) Here is my with my monster thesis. Smiling!

Looking forward to a long overdue catch-up with blogland! 

The Year in Books - July

This month I haven't managed to read as much as I'd have liked, but I managed to read two very interesting novels about the Second World War.

Now I've tended to avoid novels about this war because it always reminds me about the thesis I'm writing. Interrupting supposed leisure time with thoughts of work in other words ;) I always go on about my thesis but I'm not sure I've ever properly explained. Essentially I am researching the representation of the German military during the Second World War within post-war novels and films. I am comparing those produced in East Germany with those produced in West Germany in the 1950s, and I'm looking at it from a gender studies perspective - how these texts renegotiate masculinities, femininities, gender roles and relations in the shadow of the Nazi years, defeat and occupation. I've found it absolutely fascinating and loved it (mostly) :)

But anyway I digress. 

This month I read 'Two Brothers' by Ben Elton and 'Interrogating Ellie' by Julian Gray. Both of these books are based on the authors' family members' experiences of the war, in Germany and Austria respectively, which I found really interesting. This was more immediately obvious in 'Interrogating Ellie' which was written in a more factual style, and Gray makes it clear from the start. Elton reveals all in a section at the end of his novel.

Two Brothers is about the fate of two twins. Otto and Paulus Stengl live in Berlin with their Jewish parents, Frieda and Wolfgang. Frieda is a doctor and Wolfgang a Jazz musician. The novel starts with the birth of the boys, which is the same day as the foundation of the Nazi Party in Munich. When one of the twins Frieda is carrying is stillborn she adopts an orphaned newborn baby without hesitation in the hospital. The boys grow up side by side, not knowing they are not blood related, and it is only with the increasing persecution of the Jews and the introduction of the Nuremberg racial laws that their parents reveal the truth. The novel follows the experiences of the twins from birth, alongside the beautiful millionaire heiress Dagmar Fischer, who they are both in love with, and Silke Krause, their maid's daughter. We see the exciting Weimar Berlin replaced with the restrictive and terrifying National Socialist rule, and the impact on this family, transformed from Berlin citizens like any others to persecuted outcasts. I don't want to give anything away, but I loved it. It's very well researched and I liked all of the characters (except Dagmar, if you read it you'll understand). The novel received very mixed reviews, but I found it a real page turner - I couldn't put it down!

Interrogating Ellie is about a British woman who married an Austrian and experienced the war living in Austria. Written by Ellie's son, the novel is quite frankly fascinating. You follow Ellie's movements following the breakdown of her marriage and her subsequent experiences of wartime Austria, including the occupation of Vienna by Russian soldiers in 1945. This website explains a bit more about the novel, and gives some background information. I really enjoyed the novel, I don't know much about wartime Austria, for instance I had no idea it was the Russians who occupied Vienna. It's an easy read and provides a fascinating insight into the Anschluss of Austria and Germany in 1938 and the experiences of ordinary people during the subsequent wartime years. 

As always I'm linking up with Laura at Circle of Pines, head over there to see what everyone else has been reading :)

This and That

Time is just flying by at the moment, I can't decide if it's a good thing as it means all the lovely things that are planned are coming soon, or if it's a bad thing as they will be over! I will go with the former, I need to be more optimistic :)

I've been in Berlin for a week and a half now, it has been very productive work-wise which is a relief. I'm scouring through lots of relevant material and I've also started writing my final chapter, a minor miracle really given the sunny weather that has erupted over the city this week.

C is coming tomorrow, I'm so excited! I'm going to pick him up from the airport, I love meeting people at airports/being met, it's such a happy time. Always makes me think of Love Actually...

I thought I'd just share a few snap shots of my week, which are a bit random. I'm going to adopt tourist stance once C is here and snap away like a crazy woman on my camera rather than my phone. Did I mention that I was excited?!

On Saturday I *accidentally* came across some crafty shops on the way to the library. It seems quite common here to sell wool and knitting/crochet goodies alongside sewing machines, material, and embroidery stuff. I like it! Cotton seems very cheap, these balls were all €1.95, and the bamboo is so so soft. I am thinking flannels. These will be hidden in my work bag while C is here ;) I picked up the hook as I don't have a 4mm with me and that's what the cotton needs. woops!

An old friend happened to be in Berlin this week for a conference and I've had a lovely time catching up with him. I took him to my favourite German restaurant (here) and we had a yummy dinner followed by Apfelstrudel. Yum. yum. yum.

Journals journals journals.... That is my week in the library. I found this advert for volunteering for the military in a journal from 1956. I'm studying representations of the military, and it was really rather nice to have a picture to look at for once (my brain is melting).

A friend for Bonnie to satisfy camper withdrawal! This must belong to a small brewery or something I think.

This is a statue of Käthe Kollwitz, who was a famous anti-war artist, she died just days before German capitulation in 1945. She lost her son in WWI and grandson in WWII, and painted and sculpted some really moving work. The square near where I am staying is named after her, she lived here 1871-1943. 

 The building where I stay has a garden out the front, I think the residents join together to look after it, it always makes me smile when I get in after a long day.

Some crocheting has also been happening, for some reason lots of grey! Using some of the cotton I bought I made a dischcloth (part of my plan to infiltrate every room with crochet) and then I'm making a cowl for my Mum with some wool we picked up together a while ago. Did I mention I have a stash at home and at my parents?! Bad Helen.

Wishing you all a happy, hopefully sunny weekend whereever you are!