Present Tensions

An intersection of literary works on the question of how dictatorships are overcome, which emerged from a transnational project convening acclaimed writers. The generations, European countries of origin and artistic directions represented are both an advantage and a challenge reflected by this anthology. A considerable variety of motivations drove participants: putting into words a contemporary biography of persecution, a descendant's feeling of personal historical responsibility, or the artistic curiosity of the "outsider". The anthology is dedicated to the imaginative power of literature, and to Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe in particular. The formerly multicultural setting of these countries suffered the most from European dictatorships and their insufficiently processed legacies. The cultural transfer exhibited here will help reduce prejudices and promote new forms of understanding with Western Europe: it aims to further a diversified but common European culture.