The reception of The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis in the English, American, German and Polish literary and critical circulation

Abstract

The author, analysing the critical-literary discussions in online daily press, shows that Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest received extremely mixed reviews. The novel was well received by English and American critics, but the reviews in Germany were rather negative. In Poland, The Zone of Interest received mixed reviews and the novel was hardly noticeable in the reading reception. According to the author, the reason for the polarized opinions of critics is the increased sensitivity of nations directly affected by the policy of the Third Reich to an unconventional approach to Holocaust literature, which aims to rework the trauma through breaking the Holocaust taboo.