CfP (en&hr)
Literature that simultaneously fits into the fields of children’s and adult literature is readily found in almost all cultures and historical periods. Some of the greatest authors of classics, including Hans Christian Andersen, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, T.S. Eliot, and Roald Dahl, published books for adults and for children, and so did the founders of literary modernism and experimentalism, such as Daniil Harms and James Joyce. Many poets can be found among them, especially the representatives of modern, thematically and stylistically open poetics. They lead “double” literary lives by writing both for children and adults, although, of course, not always with the same success, or with the same intensity. This practice is not foreign to Croatian authors and poets, either. Among them, Vesna Parun (1922–2010) holds a very special place, and is considered to be the greatest Croatian poetess of the 20th century. We celebrated the centenary of her birth in 2022. Vesna Parun published verses for both children and adults throughout her life, although she is better known for the latter. Her first poetry collections for children – Patka Zlatka [Goldie the Duck] and Zec mudrijan [Wise Rabbit] – appeared in 1958, and one of her most successful children’s books is a novella in verse about the adventures and voyages of two bright cats, Mačak Džingiskan i Miki Trasi [Genghis Khan the Cat and Miki Trasi], originally published in 1968, which has since appeared in several new editions and theatrical adaptations.
Vesna Parun’s work has prompted us to prepare a special thematic issue on verse for children and verse for adults, dedicated in particular to authors who, since the mid-twentieth century, wrote poems, narrative verse forms, or plays in verse for both children and adults.
L&L welcomes papers on the similarities and differences between literature in verse for children and for adults (both in general and regarding specific authors), as well as on crossover literature, which transcends age and genre boundaries. We wish to gain new insights into the works of “double” authors from Croatia and other European and world literatures through analyses of individual works, themes, worldviews, ideas, styles, genres, and literary techniques. Examples of topics that this intriguing theme may embrace include the following: Which principles govern verse for children, and which verse for adults? Do certain poetic-stylistic and worldview paradigms change over time in the same way and at the same pace in texts for children as they do in texts for adults? Which aspects of crossover verse (are likely to) initiate intergenerational relationships and in what ways? Is there a borderline between verse aimed at a child-reader and verse aimed at an adult-reader, and, if so, is it clear?
The deadline for contributions is 15 May 2024.
To submit a manuscript, please send an email with the subject line L&L Special issue: Verse 2024 to librietliberi@gmail.com with the following documents attached:
1) Title page, including (a) manuscript title, (b) author(s)’ name and email address, (c) 100–150 word abstract, (d) five keywords, (f) a bionote indicating affiliation, research interests and most significant recent publications, up to 600 characters including spaces.
2) Manuscript: a submissions in MS Word needs to follow the style outlined in the Submission Guidelines available on www.librietliberi.org. Suggested word count is up to 10,000 words, but it is not eliminatory.
Smiljana Narančić Kovač, PhD, Editor-in-Chief
Andrijana Kos-Lajtman, PhD, Editor of the Special Issue
(Quelle: Aussendung)