Linguistic-Cultural Transmission and Mediation between Parents and Children in Montecore. En unik tiger by Jonas Hassen Khemiri and De kaller meg ulven by Zeshan Shakar

Abstract

The object of analysis are the novels Montecore. En unik tiger by Jonas Hassen Khemiri and De kaller meg ulven by Zeshan Shakar, which explore some of the conflicts, negotiations, and ambivalences that are taking place in Sweden and Norway in relation to migration phenomena. In both cases, it is possible to identify a tendency typical of postmigration literature, namely a retrospective glance by the younger generations at their parents’ migration experiences. The relationship between father and son is fundamental in both novels, and language takes on central importance, becoming an expression of specific identity projects or of a heritage that is feared to be lost with the passing of generations. By analyzing the two novels in parallel, the aim is to show the wide range of forms of multilingualism and the different functions that language can take on in diasporic contexts.