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In the early 21st century, scientists once more declared God a delusion and announced the end of faith, boosting the current critique of religious belief known as 'New Atheism'. Yet the contemporary British and Irish novel engage with religion in various forms, and religion has indeed "returned", Andrew Tate argues, "to the study of literature". The Bible in particular proves a rich source for novelists as different as Colm Tóibín, Zadie Smith, and Philip Pullman among others. Where Colm Tóibín's 'The Testament of Mary' (2012) offers a fictional memoir by the mother of God, depicting the Virgin Mary as "a powerful, unsparing figure" ('Guardian'), Zadie Smith's 'NW' (2012) describes the lives of its two female protagonists against the backdrop of the stories of Mary and Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke. And Philip Pullman's bestselling trilogy 'His Dark Materials' (1995- 2000) is a re-writing of Milton's 'Paradise Lost' (1667) that "only really makes sense" according to Tate "if the reader has a detailed knowledge of the biblical scriptures against which it writes". Despite being written from a very critical, ironic or atheist stance, all these novels rely on the Bible as an intertext in crucial ways. The Bible, in other words, is once more living up to its ancient reputation as "the Book of Books", "the Urtext of Western literature".
Immigration, cultural identity, integration, tolerance and the ability to adapt to a new environment are issues that often come up in today’s global society. The paper focuses on the way in which cultural otherness is perceived by children and teenagers. The article is based on the analysis of Karin Gündisch’s novels. The awarded author from a migrant background offers an insight into the above mentioned problems. Gündisch’s characters are mostly East-Europeans or South-East-Europeans who try to make a living in developed countries of the Western World. The author portrays entire families, children, parents and grandparents. Thus we can discuss the different stages of integration and the different attitudes towards it. How does the comfort of “home” influence identity? How can you rediscover yourself abroad? Does cultural diversity increase prejudice? What does the idea of a “Paradise abroad” involve? These are some of the aspects, the article is trying to explore.