Catch up: Ritzy, recuperative, critical

The Prokhorov Centre hosted a colloquium on hotels, spas, and resorts in cultural critiques (17-18 May 2018) called 'Ritzy, recuperative, critical: The representation of Central European hotels, spas and resorts in cultural critiques since c.1900.

Grand hotels and spas: Marienbad, Czech Republic
Marienbad, Czech Republic

About the event

As part of the colloquium, professor and best-selling author David Clay Large (UC Berkeley) gave a public lecture on: 'Muses in the Waters: The Cultural Landscape of the Grand Central European Spas, 1850-1933'.

David is the author of The Grand Spas of Central Europe: A History of Intrigue, Politics, Art, and Healing (2015).

The conference looked at literary and other artistic representations of Central European hotels, spas, and resorts, such as Baden-Baden, Karlsbad, and Marienbad. It explored the manifold ways in which these representations have served as foils for cultural critique.

The conference organiser was Seán Williams, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow in German in the School of Languages and Cultures and BBC/AHRC Young Generation Thinker.

Download programme (PDF, 290KB)

Get in touch

Prokhorov Centre
University of Sheffield
School of Languages and Cultures
Jessop West Building
1 Upper Hanover Street
Sheffield S3 7RA