Silence and Acts of Memory

This book explores silence and memory in Germany's ongoing discourse about the Nazi past. It examines the ways in which exile literature and critical thought by Anna Seghers joins postwar discourse and current historical research to formulate an acceptable memory of private life during the Third Reich. Seghers' work is particularly relevant in light of a postwar rift between private and public memory discourse. Her texts, The Seventh Cross, The Excursion of the Dead Girls, and especially her depictions of female figures offer a rare in-depth examination of ordinary life under Hitler. From exile, Seghers reveals hidden voices and personal experience with the Nazi regime that linger in the silenced voids of history. Silence and Acts of Memory reconnects private and public discourse about traumatic events of the Nazi past; the book contributes valuable insights to the current discourse about the continuing formative process of German national identity. Birgit Maier-Katkin is an Associate Professor of German at the Florida State University.