Re-encoding of photographic images in literary context

Abstract

This paper explores Evelyn Schlag’s literary engagement with the photographic medium at the intersection of text and image, with particular reference to Bertolt Brecht’s War Primer and Emil Gataullin’s photo book Towards the Horizon. While Brecht’s conceptual use of image-text juxtapositions serves the critical reflection of political reality, Schlag draws on Gataullin’s humanistically inspired, contemplative black-and-white photographs of the Russian provinces to shape the narrative space of her novel. These photographic motifs act as intermedial impulses: they not only provide the setting for Schlag’s narrative but also structure its temporality. By employing ekphrastic techniques, Schlag succeeds in translating Gataullin’s decelerated visual language into literature, developing a narrative in which past, present, and future intertwine. The horizon, as a central motif, signifies both geographical vastness and existential quest. Through the interplay of photography and literature, a multilayered narrative emerges – one that reflects on peace, memory, and the human longing for a meaningful and livable everyday life.