Homo Exsilius or the Portrait of the Artist as a Wanderer

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to tackle the phenomenon of ‘exile’ from the standpoint of the ‘sufferer’, the person who is directly and irreversibly involved in it. The paper focuses on two main issues, each being allotted a separate subchapter. The first is a psychological portrayal of the migrant – and the exiled writer in particular – from a double perspective (insider vs. outsider), revealing his/her most troubling complexes. The second traces a set of existential ‘shocks’ that the migrant (writer) experiences at his/her destination. In conclusion, the exile’s psychological transformations are highlighted, with particular emphasis on the writer’s degrees of adaptation to the new cultural environment.