Abstract:

Cultural productions related to “comfort women” continue to thrive due to the growing urgency to remember this socio-political and historical issue. As of September 2024, only eight survivors remain in Korea, following the recent passing of another victim-survivor. “Comfort women” is a term coined by the Japanese military when the Imperial Army forced women from its colonies into sexual slavery during World War II. It took four decades for the first victim in Korea to come forward and expose the “comfort women” system. However, the patriarchal Korean society at that time suppressed these women’s voices, burdening them with societal guilt and shame. In the absence of public recognition, literature emerged as a crucial medium through which the experiences of these women could be explored, offering a space for reclaiming their lost histories and empowering their narratives. It also became an inclusive platform for writers from outside Korea to engage in the redress movement.

Among the many writers addressing this sensitive historical issue, Mary Lynn Bracht, a Korean American author, stands out for having crafted a historical novel about “comfort women” with the aim of providing literary redress. The work effectively merges Bracht’s creative reimaginings with historical references, such as Jeju haenyeos (self-sufficient women divers) and testimonies from Kim Hak-sun and Jan Ruff O’Herne. The novel recounts the story of two sisters, Hana and Emi, whose experiences evoke the collective memory of the “comfort women.” Hana is forced into the “comfort system” but consistently resists her oppressors. Emi, whom Hana saves from being taken, preserves the memory of her sister and underscores the necessity of remembering all “comfort women.” Bracht’s narrative thus links the silenced trauma of the victim-survivors with the memory and recognition of future generations, ensuring that these marginalised histories are preserved and acknowledged. Her novel addresses historical omissions and contributes to a broader discourse on the need to remember and bear witness to these unspoken atrocities.

The deportation of several peoples of the (North) Caucasus to Central Asia in 1944-45, accused by I. Stalin of having collaborated with the Germans during the Second World War and pardoned only after 1956, remained a taboo topic across the USSR until M. Gorbachev popularised a policy of transparency (ru. Glasnost) and lifted censorship in the late 1980s. Before that, local writers who remembered this collective trauma in fiction and non-fiction were either left untranslated – thus hindering their reception in a supralocal context – or, in case their works did appear in Russian, forced to rely on Aesopian language to avoid heavy censorship. This contribution will compare and contrast three works of historical fiction that focus on the deportation, written by Chechen, Ingush, and Balkar authors and published in Russian in the early 1990s: the novellas Odin den sudby (en. One fateful Day, 1993) and Vyiti zamuzh za ogon (en. Getting married to Fire, 1991) by A. Aidamirov and S. Chakhkiev respectively, and the drama Tiazhkii put (en. The difficult Path, 1991) by A. Tepeev. It will highlight personal similarities between these authors and focus on the interplay between the form of their works and their content. As non-Russian Soviet writers who started publishing in Russian in the 1960s, these authors adhered to the formal tenets of Soviet multinational literature – a project with strong imperial undertones tied to the doctrine of Socialist realism and gradually implemented in the USSR since the 1920s. However, by (more or less overtly) criticising Stalinist imperialism and contributing to keeping alive the local collective memory of the deportation, they incorporated elements of early postcolonialism in the content of their works. This contribution will thus elucidate the interrelations between the conventional form of Soviet multinational literature and the subversive character of early postcolonial content in a time of transition for both Russia and the North Caucasus.

Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul was one of the most significant British writers of the 20th century. He was born into a Brahmin family of Indian descent in Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean island nation. For a long time, historical narratives of the region had been predominantly shaped by European colonizers, whose perspectives were inclined toward their own interests and values. Consequently, these narratives often concealed the violence and oppression inherent in the colonial process while neglecting the voices of the colonized. As a British writer of Indian descent born in the Americas, Naipaul's multicultural identity enabled him to examine the impact of colonialism from a unique perspective.

The Loss of El Dorado is one of V. S. Naipaul’s most representative works of historical writing, focusing on the history of Trinidad in the Caribbean region. Through meticulous archival research and narrative reconstruction, Naipaul not only reflects on the profound impact of colonialism but also seeks to transcend Eurocentric narratives by uncovering overlooked historical truths and suppressed voices, thereby challenging dominant power discourses. Moreover, for Naipaul, the rewriting of history is not merely a retrospective examination of the past but also an exploration of contemporary cultural identity. The Loss of El Dorado offers the Caribbean people an opportunity to reexamine their history—an endeavor that extends beyond historical authenticity to questions of how postcolonial societies understand themselves and construct their cultural identities.

This study aims to explore V. S. Naipaul’s rewriting of Caribbean history from both postcolonial and historiographical perspectives, examining his motivations, strategies, content, characteristics, as well as the significance and impact of his historical reconstruction. Specifically, the research will address the following questions: (1) What are Naipaul’s motivations for rewriting Caribbean history? (2) What does Naipaul’s rewritten version of Caribbean history entail, and what narrative strategies does he employ? (3) How does Naipaul’s historical rewriting compare with other colonial narratives in terms of its distinctive features? (4) What impact does this rewriting have on Caribbean cultural identity and its reconstruction?

In conclusion, this study not only enhances the understanding of historical narratives in postcolonial societies but also prompts a critical reflection on the crucial contemporary significance of identity construction in postcolonial nations, particularly in the context of their ongoing cultural and economic ties with the West.

The revolutionary hero Zhu Fusheng is a typical example of "real characters and real incidents" in the literature of the liberated areas. He is a real person beside the Yihe River in Shandong Province. He is the object of the writers and the star who actively integrates into the new democratic revolution. News reports and literary and artistic works with Zhu Fusheng as the theme emerge one after another. He is a model worker and a hero supporting the front in Dazhong daily and Luzhong Dazhong; He is a resourceful, heroic and unyielding fighting hero in the Gu Ci Zhu Fusheng turns over; He is a typical figure in the reportage Zhu Fusheng. The themes of literary and artistic works of different genres are intertextual. Newspapers, news and letters explain the times of the turned heroes. The reportage Zhu Fusheng praises the heroic character rationally. The drummer Zhu Fusheng turns over presents revolutionary passion. The works narrate Zhu Fusheng's emotional world from different aspects. The news praises the hero from the emotional dimension of the opposition between the enemy and ourselves. The drum CI looks forward to the hero with the emotion between the comrades. The interview explores the hero's growth path from the emotional adjustment of the hero's self; Aesthetically, they jointly shape the lofty form. News reports weaken the concrete production and highlight the lofty spirit. Literature and art emphasize the details of life and highlight the dignified tone. The art production in the liberated areas draws materials from real people and stories to shape the laborer Zhu Fusheng, a model of the times with people's character.