Holo-polo, or the sweet tales of the Holocaust

Abstract

This article describes the phenomenon of editorial kitsch trends around the Holocaust literature and its impact on the Holocaust memory. "Holo-polo" is a way of dealing with the “discomfort” of the horrors of war and violence, by creating a more comfortable version of it. The article problematizes the ways of representation of a frequently debated and controversial issue, the Holocaust. By analyzing individual publications, the article addresses the issues of memory, forgetting, objectivity and truth of historical representation, and, inevitably, the ethical issue of historical fiction. The article argues that embellishing the history of the Holocaust is not only inappropriate, but also indecent. Instead of describing the horrors of the Holocaust, Holo-polo trivializes and misrepresents its significance, depicting melancholy, sentiment, and nostalgia in the light of a pop-cultural emotional trap. Or maybe is it just being moved by our own emotions. Kitschy clichés are misused and certainly do not serve memory, literature, or respect for Holocaust victims and survivors.