Im Spannungsfeld von Nation, Identität und Familie: Rückblicke auf Migrationserlebnisse und die DDR in der deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur

The contribution explores the multifaceted engagement of recent German-speaking literature with reflections of the past, both in a larger context of the nation (in form of the political entity as well as an imagined community) and the family and the respective interfaces of these themes. The article analyses auto-fictional portrayals of three authors (Saša Stanišić, Shida Bazyar and Dmitrij Kapitelman) who reflect on the experience of migrating to Germany from Yugoslavia, Iran and the Soviet Union. It also examines works by Marion Brasch, Eugen Ruge and Maxim Leo, who similarly explore past lives in the former GDR through the lens of family narratives. All six authors engage with political and cultural contexts, drawing on intergenerational perspectives and employing polyphonic storytelling techniques.