Image of the Balkans in the works by Andrzej Stasiuk and Małgorzata Rejmer

Abstract

The history of the term the Balkans and stigmatising images of the Balkan area, created by travellers and writers from Western Europe, have been described in works by Maria Todorova and Božidar Jezernik, which can already be considered classical. After 1989, the image of the countries of Southeast Europe in Poland was shaped under the infl uence of the Western discourse, but it also had distinguishing features. These included the positioning of the Balkans against of the myth of Central Europe and, to an extent, against the common experience of communism. The most interesting (and infl uential) narratives of Polish writers about the countries of this part of Europe are related to the literary works by Andrzej Stasiuk and Małgorzata Rejmer. They also fi t into the discussion about the boundaries of reportage that took place in Poland in the 21st century after the death of Ryszard Kapuściński.