Postcolonial writers. An attempt to identify the work of Astrid Roemer

Abstract

Thesis. Astrid Roemer, a writer from Suriname who has lived in the Netherlands for many years, belongs to the so-called postcolonial writers. Literary scholars point at the difficulty in determining the identity of such writers. The question of assigning Astrid Roemer to a particular generation of immigrants is also problematic.

The writer addresses her works to black women although she creates them in Dutch, which in Suriname exclusively is an official language. Thus, her novels are read by a small percentage of the community. In the article the author puts forward the thesis that Astrid Roemer's works should be included in multicultural literature.

The concepts discussed. The author refers to the sociological concept of the first and second generation of immigrants as well as the historical and literary study of Urszula Topolska devoted to writers with double cultural roots who create their works in Dutch. He also recalls the concept of transculturalism of Wolfgang Welsch and the multicultural identity of Jerzy Nikitorowicz.

Results and conclusions. Both in the biography and in the literary output of Astrid Roemer one can find signs of transculturalism and cultural hybridization.

Originality / cognitive value of the approach. Astrid Roemer is a laureate of the P. C. Hooft Award, the Dutch state prize, considered the most important literary prize in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, she is a niche author. Her name was only mentioned once in the textbook for learning Dutch literature