“I wrote a book about things well known to both you and me” — “Emil and the detectives” as a timeless model of the detective-adventure novel in the context of Adam Bahdaj’s prose
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/tes.11308Keywords:
detective fiction for young readers, Erich Kästner, Adam Bahdaj, educational function of literature, intertextuality in children’s literatureAbstract
Detective fiction for children and adolescents has held a prominent place in the realm of popular literature for decades, blending entertainment with educational purposes. Among the seminal works in this genre, “Emil and the detectives” by Erich Kästner stands out as a landmark text that redefined the adventure-detective narrative for young readers. This article aims to examine selected aspects of Kästner’s novel in the context of its potential influence on the literary output of Adam Bahdaj — one of the foremost authors of Polish youth literature in the 20th century. The study reconstructs the narrative model introduced by Kästner and explores its echoes in the works of Polish writers, with a particular focus on the durability and adaptability of this model in contemporary cultural settings.
References
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Frycie S., Literatura dla dzieci i młodzieży w latach 1945-1970, t. 1: Proza, Warszawa 1978.
Kästner E., Emil i detektywi, Toruń 2010.
Kruszyńska E., Między zabawą a dydaktyką. Literacka twórczość Adama Bahdaja dla dzieci i młodzieży, Toruń 2017.
Martuszewska A., Powieść kryminalna, w: Słownik literatury polskiej XX wieku, red. A. Brodzka i in., Wrocław 1992.
Nocuń A. W., Literatura sensacyjna, w: Literatura dla dzieci i młodzieży w procesie wychowania, red. A. Przecławska, Warszawa 1978.
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