Conference "I Will Endure Everything, Including Myself. LEOPOLD FLAM. Diary and letters of a nonconformist. From Lublin (Poland) to Antwerp (Belgium)

The Department of Dutch Studies at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Heschel Center for Catholic-Jewish Relations at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, International Centre for Research of the History and Cultural Heritage of the Central and Eastern Europe Jews at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin in cooperation with the Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre Centre invite you to participate in the conference "I Will Endure Everything, Including Myself. LEOPOLD FLAM. Diary and letters of a nonconformist. From Lublin (Poland) to Antwerp (Belgium)" combined with the presentation of the book by Kristien Hemmerechts and Guido Van Wambeke. The event will take place on May 23, 2024 at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Centrum Transferu Wiedzy - Knowledge Transfer Center (auditorium CTW-113) from 10:00 a.m. Details on the attached poster.

Kristien Hemmerechts is a well-known Flemish novelist, winner of many literary awards, her prose revolves around the issues of growing up and the dilemmas of women in the modern world. The reason for her arrival in Lublin, however, is different this time - together with Guido van Wambeke Kristien Hemmerechts has compiled the diaries of Leopold Flam (1912-1995), a Belgian philosopher and essayist with Jewish roots, whose family originated in Lublin and Chelm (https://teatrnn.pl/ludzie/osoby/id/I00092585/).The diaries of Leopold Flam (https://www.flandersliterature.be/books-and-authors/book/i-will-endure-everything-including-myself)

The diaries of Leopold Flam (https://www.flandersliterature.be/books-and-authors/book/i-will-endure-everything-including-myself) are a record of both his ethical and philosophical search and his struggle with his own complicated and sometimes conflicted personality. Flam grew up in materially difficult conditions in Antwerp, but with great perseverance he acquired knowledge, which was his greatest passion. He survived World War II and the Holocaust as a prisoner first of the Dossin Barracks and then of Buchenwald. After liberation, he worked as a teacher, and since the 1950s as a university lecturer. He became known as an unabashed polemicist with controversial views, a rebellious outsider within the walls of the academy. The notes, compiled by Kristien Hemmerechts and Guido van Wambeke with the support of a team of volunteers, are a valuable source for learning about Flam's personality, intellectual development and writing style. It should be added that this publication has not yet been translated from Dutch into Polish. In order to create a substitute for a Polish edition, students of Dutch studies worked on the translation of a selection of Flam's notes.

We invite you to be part of the event!