Odesa, the port city on the Black Sea, has a vibrant literary tradition. In the Odesa text – the entirety of works written in and about Odesa – the city demonstrates its own character: it is “Europeanly”-open, international, and multi-ethnic; but it is also criminal and corrupt. Internationality and multinationality are already reflected in the language: The Odesa text is written in Russian, Ukrainian, Yiddish, and many other languages.
This virtual tour is meant to replace a real excursion to Odesa that was planned to take place in June 2022, as part of the seminar on the Odesa text at the University of Fribourg. During the two days, we want to further examine the relationship between the city of Odesa and its literary heritage.

Our program includes guided virtual tours through Odesa by the historian and virtual tour guide Ivan Savushkin, inputs from the Odesan literary scholars Natal’ya Malyutina and Tet’yana Kara, a guided virtual tour through the Odesan Literature Museum, as well as a lecture and talk with the Odesan writer and literary scholar Ganna Kostenko (cf. program attached).
The event will be held in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

Everyone interested is very welcome to join us on site (no registration needed), or via Zoom (link upon demand, eliane.fitze@unifr.ch).