Totalitarian Speech

by Michał Głowiński

Totalitarian Speech brings together a range of texts on totalitarian manipulations of language. The author analyzes various phenomena, from the hateful rhetoric of Nazi Germany to the obfuscating newspeak of communist Poland, finding certain common characteristics. Above all, totalitarian speech in its diverse manifestations imposes an all-embracing worldview and an associated set of dichotomous divisions from an omniscient and authoritative perspective. This volume collects the work of over three decades, including essays written during the communist era and more recent pieces assessing the legacy of totalitarian ways of thinking in contemporary Poland.

351 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

One of kids saved by Irena Sendlerowa from ghetto in Warsaw during the Second World War.

Profesor of literature, well known from his articles about newspeak. His studies are mainly focused on contemporary literature.

In 2010 he published his autobiography in which he revealed his homosexual orientation.