Chapter 2 Coming Out: LGBTQ+ Topics and Polish Young Adult Literature
In: Navigating Children’s Literature through ControversySearch for other papers by Monika Woźniak in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
While Polish books for young readers which openly discuss LGBTQ+ topics are still scarce, the range of non-heteronormative texts available to adolescents has been rapidly growing in the last decades. Polish young people not only have access to LGBTQ+-themed books but also participate in the online reception, distribution, and production of narratives extending from erotic fiction in English to erotic manga scanlations, to slash fanfics. Thus, this chapter argues that among the first Polish YA LGBTQ+ novels published in the last ten years, the most successful ones have been written by Natalia Osińska and Weronika Łodyga—authors immersed in the youth participatory culture. They go beyond the conventional presentation of non-heterosexual orientation as problematic and, instead, cater to the readers’ needs and expectations, offering positive LGBTQ+ tales firmly embedded into the Polish social and cultural context.