This is a chapter from Crime Fiction in German: Der Krimi, edited by Katharina Hall. It is the first volume in English to offer a comprehensive overview of German-language crime narratives from the nineteenth century to the new millennium. It introduces readers to crime novels from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the former East Germany, and examines under-researched areas such as Nazi crime fiction, Turkish-German crime fiction and the Afrika-Krimi.
This collection of essays examines how memories of social, political, and military conflicts have been conveyed in twentieth- and twenty-first-century European historiography, culture, and media, highlighting the diverse representations of conflict that have emerged. Covering events from world wars to national conflicts, civil protests, and terrorism between 1914 and 2009, the volume analyzes conflict representations across various national contexts, including East/West Germany, post-reunification Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, and Iran. Individual essays delve into the roles of memory agents and mediators, such as protesters, soldiers, policemen, historians, journalists, writers, and bloggers, while exploring the interplay between state-sanctioned memories, political memories, and personal recollections. The influence of different memory carriers is also discussed, including historical narratives, commemorative ceremonies, memorials, literature, films, new media, and visual representations like graphic novels and photographs. Organized around three key themes—‘public and private discourses of memory,’ ‘counter-memories,’ and ‘commemorative practices’—the contributions foster a vibrant dialogue on contemporary processes of representing and constructing conflict.
This study expands the concept of Grass’s ‘Danzig Trilogy’ into the ‘Danzig Quintet,’ a monumental literary exploration of Germany’s relationship with its Nazi past over forty years. The interconnected narratives of Die Blechtrommel, Katz und Maus, Hundejahre, örtlich betäubt, and Im Krebsgang are conveyed through the memories and language of seven first-person narrators. Employing Freud and Lacan’s dual conceptualization of memory—‘reliving’ versus ‘recollecting’—the author illustrates how these narrators affirm the reality of the Holocaust and German wartime suffering, while revealing the reluctance of ordinary Germans to confront their complicity in the Nazi regime. The intricate relationship of three generations to their history is further enhanced by the intertextual nature of the quintet. Drawing on theories from Peter Brooks, Umberto Eco, Shoshana Felman, and Hayden White, the study reveals how Grass’s narrative techniques prompt readers to perceive all five works as a cohesive narrative while resisting literary or historical closure. Additionally, it contextualizes each book within its production moment and reflects on the implications of Grass’s late admission in August 2006 regarding his service with the Waffen-SS during the war's final months.
