Memory as Palimpsest. Divided Heritage as Subject and Narrative Technique in Contemporary Literature

What is striking is the affinity female authors in particular have for searching for these traces in cultural spaces of interference in Eastern Europe as a space of origin, longing, and imagination, as well as their astuteness in examining (inherited) traumas. The project will focus on literary texts by German, Russian and Polish-speaking authors such as Gusel Jachina, Sabrina Janesch, Noémi Kiss, Olga Tokarczuk and Josef Zoderer. Various genres that deal with shared heritage, including the generational novel and literary travel reportage, will be analyzed in detail. For comparison, the documentary film will also be included.

Within the framework of the project, the proceedings of the Shared Heritage conference will be prepared for publishing (in 2022 in the BKGE publication series) and a habilitation project on the poetics of post-memory and shared cultural heritage in contemporary literature will be developed.