Disappearing Under Dictatorship: The Trauma of Absence in Bernardo Kucinski’s K.

Susanne Zepp-Zwirner, University of Duisburg-Essen, Harris Distinguished Visiting Professor, Dartmouth College.

7/22/2025
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Location
Haldeman Hall 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
Sponsored by
Jewish Studies Program
Audience
Public
More information
Jewish Studies Program
6037272043

Bernardo Kucinski’s novel K tells the story of a father’s search for his missing daughter during Brazil’s military dictatorship. Drawing on his own family history as refugees from Poland in the 1930s, Kucinski weaves together personal loss, political violence, and memories of migration from Warsaw to São Paulo. Through shifting perspectives and rich storytelling, mobilizing both Yiddish literary heritage and Brazilian realities, the novel explores how families endure trauma across generations—and how literature can give voice to histories too often silenced. K stands as a compelling exploration of memory, guilt, and the search for meaning in the wake of state-sponsored violence. 

Location
Haldeman Hall 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
Sponsored by
Jewish Studies Program
Audience
Public
More information
Jewish Studies Program
6037272043