Focus 2003.tif 162 FOl'liJ 011 GermaN Sllidiu T he Theme of Lesbianism in I Ielga Konigsdo rf's post- lf?clJde Novel Gleich lIebell Afrika Diana Alberghini T he first time that IJ clga Konigsdorf broached the theme of homosexuality. even if only marginally, was ill U'l§kgmer Bifund (1989). an epislOiary novel in which a homosexual scientist is assailed by rhe suspicion lhat his fathe r, a well-respected docmf, might have been involved with the NaZI medical experi ments on human beings, I T hree years latcr, she tackled ir again in Clei,h lIeben Afrika, a novel which reflects the climate of openness brought about by lhe Wende. As [he firs[ fictional work Konigsdorf w eDle after 1989, it reveals lbe author's eagerness to exploit new themes and genres. I Iere K6nigsdorf combines the plot of a thriller wi th a realistic and at times iron.ical portrayal of life in the new DIU/des/finder afte r unification. She tells the story of a lesbian rekitiol1ship and the identity crisis of a central character whose life cl.!sembles hers in many aspects: bo th had a half-Jewish fathe r, a big fa rm house in the shape of a castle, and are from T huringia, where both fe lt the need [ 0 take refuge after the collapse of the C DR in sea rch of their identity; bodl were Party members and are writers.. In panicular, KOlligsdorf's decision to inuoduce a lesbian love story emphasizes the post- [!7ende mood lhac charactenzes the novel. T he years fo llowing unification nm on ly represented a ume for reflection, blll also a time in which alternatives to traditional models could be freely explored. Tn this novel, Konigsdorf seems ready to take advantage of lhe new horizons now open to East German writers, who during the C DR era always had to work under suicr censorship. The depiClion of love between two women :utests LO Konigsdorf's desire fO experiment with subject matters thar would have been problematic before 1989. It has often been argued that the CDR, despite ilS claims to have created a ~ocio·economjc SLructu rc that allowed women to 164 FOIJIJ Dn Gmnoll SIJlditJ achieve emancipation, remalned profoundly patriarchal. This is pan.!}' demonStr:l.led by (he impocf2nce lhe state attached to the rradicional family, as exemplified by Paragraph [ of lhe constitution: (1) Oer sozialistische Staat schutzl und rarden Ehe und Familie. Staat und Gesellschaft nehmen durch "ielF.i.ltige MaOnahmen clamur Einfiull, daR die mit dec Gebun, Erualiry, has nevertheless been made awue thal It IS so mething negative and socially unacceplab1t:. As was of len the case with controversial issues in the GDR, thc only public forum in which homosexualiry could be discussed was that offered by IiteoHure. I lowever, despite lhe read iness of many GDR authors 10 analy-~e their system Critically, they seldom challenged the fact that thel[ society made heterosexuality compulsory. The case of lesbianism is only marginally discussed and mainly inuoduced as a means of challengmg Ihe IIlSlitllrtOn of marriage. II IS presented almost as a utopian al(crnative to Ihe rndicional family lifestyle, which wa:; proving unsuccessful in the GD R. One could perhaps see Ihe fi rst refe.rences to ksbiamsm as a reaction to the fundamenta l social malaise afflicting East Germany, namely Ih«=: breakdown of tbe majority of ma rriag«=::;.' Lcsbl:llllSm appears therefore as one of the. many possibihlles beyond marriage and is considered alongside other alternatlvc ltfestyles, such as slllgle 166 Forus on German Swdies parenting. frmtraud Morgner deals with lesbianism in "Gmt Bo tschart def Valeska in 73 Su ophen," which she wrote in response to the request of me American writer EdIth Anderson, who imended [0 coUeer the best shorr slOries composed by women writers o n rhe subject of sex change. This story. which was not selected by Anderson. but integrated by l-.lorgner into her novel uben 1IIld AbtnliliiT der Trobadora Bta/riz (1974), narrates me experience of Valeska who. after undergoing a sex lransforma llon, develops a rdalionsillp based on suPPOrt and solidarity with hcr &iend Shenja. The relationship proves so strong that it even challenges Valenska's marriage. Despite lhe face (hat lhe physical attraction bClWcen the rwo women is hinted at, they never engage in a sexual relationship because of [he "$inensuenge, die [ ... ]Iandsublich war" (Morgner 432). Ultimately, the focus of ule Story remains on heterosexual relationships, in parucular on the one belWeen Valeska and her husband. Allusions [0 lesbiamsm are also present in Christine Woher's " Jeh habe wieder geheiralet" (1976),5 a short story which teUs about the choice of two women to live together after the breakdown of [heir marriages. \'{'olter inuoduces their decision not as a rejection of heterosexuality, but rJ.ther as a ,,,,ay out of the role they were forced to adopt \)..;,t!tin their previous experience of cradllional family life. Attention is drawn to their dissatisf);ng experiences as married women. The solidarity and the suppOrt which charJ.cterizes [he relationship her.veen the twO central characters is comrasred with the recurring lack o f understanding their husbands showed towards [heir needs. As they are hOth working mo th ers, they are able to create an atmosphere of harmony within their house hold, and to understand and help each OUler. The courage to reject heterosexuality and declare o nesel f homosexual is a fearure that is lIbsent not only from GDR ficooml literamre, but from documentary literature as weU. The experience of Barbara E, included in Maxie \Vander's Gutm Morgell, dH Sd!iJ'ne (1977), a "olume of interviews in which a wide range of women had the oppO rtUnity to speak freely abom uleic lives, reflects the GDR cultural and ideological f[';lme\\'ork with regard to homosexuality (Wander 48.57). Barbara alludes to having had sexual expenences with a girlfriend; however, she quickly passes O\'er this episode and The 1beme of Lesbianism 167 concentrates o n talking about her relationships with men, as tf in attempt to normalize her position. This example is impon:antbecau~e it highlights the extem to w hich it W2S difficult for homosexuals 10 the GDR not only to live their sexuality with serenity, but above all to accept it as pan of themselves. The 1980s brought about a change in attitude towards homosexuals. Though they wece not cepresemed in the public debate by feminist and gay rights movemems such as the o nes in the West in the 1970s and 19805, they nonetheless started becoming less invisible. For example, personal advertisements fo r sa me sex· partners staned to be permitted and the Protesta nt Church began to o pen its doors to male homosexuals, who in turn found a meetlng place there. Lesbians, however, remained largely isolated. The o nly sphere in which they were acknowledged was fictlonalliteramre, and e\'en here as the above-cited examples reveal, lesbianism was only hinted at ; nd used strategically in ule contex t of a deeper exploration of the male·female relationship. Needless to say, lesbians, as weU as other persecuted groups., benefited g ready from th e openness brought about b} the 1l7mde. The debate on homosexuality finally beame public, as shown by rhe various articles dlaL were published on the theme, as well as by the emergence of journals 2lmed at a homosexual readersllLp. Lesbians were no longer i.nvisible. 111e desU'e to explore preViously prohibited to pics such as lesbianism was also reHected III the sphere o f literature not only by Konigsdorf ill Gleuh neben AJnka, but also by other alllho rs such as Gabriele Kachold and Kerstin G ut sche.' Cleich "ebm Afiika teUs the sto ry of :1.11 unnamed writer who is u ying to re-define her own identity in the chang~d aU~10~phere o f her country after ule lI7emk. The quesuon of Idelluty m [he posr- ll7ende period is the main theme of the novel and IS li luSlrated ulrougb the difficulties experienced by a first-person female pro tagonist, whLle the iss ue of lesbianism at first appea rs marglllai. T he main character's companion is t'l iaria, a woman who seems very eager to exploi t [he new o pportunities o ffe red by th e I/Yentle - she would \Ike to visit l ndia, for exa ll1ple -, but who at th~ same ume: feels disoriented. The novel focuses on the present Slluauon of the cwo charac(crs, while their past remains in ule shadows. Before living together, both 168 Foro! on Gmllal/ Studies had heterosexual relationships. It is nor clear whether this is the first time that mey are involved in a homosexual relationship, or how they decided to be together. After a first moment of hesitation stemming from rhe suspicious climate of the historical period in which they met [he narrator relares simply [hal Maria returns to her fiat with the intention of Staying. In recounting this episode, she does nOt mention falling in love; it seems more likely that the twO women begin their relationship because they find shelter in each other's company from the intimidating new world which suddenly confromed them. At lhe same time, their decision to remain mgether could be seen as a reflecoon of the mood of rhe [Vende. The narrator confesses, for example, to being unable to imagine all the new possibilities and alternatives opm to her, and perhaps the decision to begin a relationship with anorner woman is an anempt to explore new territOry: "\'(/as da aber noch war, lag so weit auBerhalb meiner Denkmuster, daB ieh dama ls nicht darauf gekommen ware" (Konigsdorf, Afrika 100). Gkich ntben Afrika offers an extensive focus on both of these figures whose personalities appear to fit in with the (un)balance of power and division of roles typical of traditional heterosexual relationships. Thus, the narrator seems to embody the mascu line stereotype: she is dle breadwinner, the one who is expected to work and bring the money home, and who can concentrate on her chosen career. She is also the more rational of the pair and has a more realistic idea of the world and how it works. l..,laria, on the contrary, is impulsive and capricious. She wams to go to India, but relies almost completely on the writer to earn the money which will pay for the journey. On one occasion, she tries to take the situation into her own hands: she asks her partne r to lend her some money, which she invests in the purchase of a merry-go-around. I t is clear that only a very naIve person would have embarked on such a project, which in the end reveals itself as a fraud. Maria also has no ambitions for herself, bm is supportive of the ambitions of het parmer, in whom she has great confidence. The lies the narrator constan tly tells her when questioned abol\( the progress of the novel she is trying to write further indicate the imbalance berv.·een these twO charac[ers. It seems that the writer does not want to show her weaknesses to her partner, and hides her difficulties to protect her and prevent her T he Theme of Lesbianism from worrying: Maria hane von Freiheit getciumt. Und nun merkre sie plorzlich, daB es eine Freiheit war, die. erwas kosrete. Und daB sic den Preis nicht bczahlen konme. teh braclHc cs nicht iiber das Hert, def reitende BOte mit der sch lechten Nacbricht :w sein. (Afrika 32) 169 While in the srory "fch habe wieder gebciratet" the n:l:iuonship berween the t-wO mothers works precisely because the twO women ate able to collaborate on equal footing in their parmership, here it seems that the rwa characters stay together because they caumerbalance each other. The writer's ambition, independence and strength are counterbalanced by Mana's lack of ambition, dependence and helplessness. In (his way, tbeu: relationship refl~cts the traditional division of roles within heterosexua l pan nershlps, in which the man is the provider, has conrrol over his life and the chance to fulfill himself directly, while the woman depends on this provider. The realiry of the GDR showed thar when both partners are pursuing self-realization, tbeir 'Illest can lead 10 a conflict of interests between the {wO which, in most cases, is resolved through divorce. It is not by chance thal most of the divorce proceedings in the G DR were started by women, who often fell rhey were hindered from pursuing (heir personal goals by the burden of having to combine career and family. This is also tbe reason why in the 1970s and 1980s many women writers, such as Christa \\Yole searched for self-fulfiUmem through creative writing. Since Konigsdorf bases the relaTionship between Maria and the writ<::r on o ld stereotypes, she neither adds to the discourse on heterosexual relationships, nor does she offer an}' significant insights into the dynamics of homosexual partnerships. . One of the characteristics of the relationship betwc.:en the w[lter and Maria h; tllar their homosexualiry is not presenred as a radical choice fundamenml to the identiry and dle personal d e,.clopment of the twO characters. ItseemsessentiaUy an expe riment, especially since rhey do not live their homosexuality as a rejection of heterosexual 170 Focus OIl Ctrmoll Sludies life. rather as a temporary alrernative. The writer is even surprised to realize that she has not had any heterosexual relationships for a long time: "tv[ein GOtt! Wie hane ieh es bloG so lange ohoe t-.ifann ausgehalten?" (Afrika 74). She tries to remedy this when duri ng her visit [ 0 her hometown she meets a man - the "Brigadie r" - and arranges to have dinner with him. The reason for deciding to get 10 know him more intimately is the tiredness she experiences .in hcr role of the independent woman who has [0 provide for he.rself and her partner. After making rhe acquaintance of the "Brigadier," she srans dreaming of a little hOllse where they could happily live toge ther, and fabricates in her mind idyUic pictures in Wllich she is in the kitchen cooking dumplings, while he is chopping wood in the coucryard. She realizes that the atuaction she feels lowards this man, whom she even defines as a "l\farchenpnnz" (Afrika 73), stems from Ihe a\.\rareness that, if they were together, she could slip inm a more passive role than the one she has in her relationship with Maria. While playing with the possibility of having a relationship with her "tlHrchenprinz," she even says, '''Aber e1as Beste war der Gedanke, nie mehr schreiben zu miissen" (Afrika 74). By conuaSl, Macia does not experience [he same desire to be able [Q rely on a man si nce she is already living a traditional passive role within her homosexual relationship, Stereotypes are present nOt only in (he personal uaits and behavior of the two women. Even though dleu: relationship is not the cenual (heme of the novel, ,KOrugsdorf does nOt manage to avoid some o f the cliches surrounding the idea of love between women. While [he decision to avoid making lesbianism into an iss ue should have given her more freed om to poruay lesbian relationships less stereorypicaUy, cliches emerge especially in the description of the love scenes, KDnigsdorf tends to ignore the sexual drive of the physical relationship beLWeen lWO women and focuses on lhe tender as opposed to the erotic aspect of it: ''len muRte sie die gaoze Nacht streicheln, Die Liebe zwischen Frauen besteht im wesemlichen aus Zartlichkeit und Eifersucht" (Afn'J:a 20), One of the devices employed by Konigsdorf to avoid turning lcsbiarusm into an issue is the matter-of-fact style with which she tells the s{Q ry of [he love berween the wricer and l\{aria. On the onc hand, dlis has the effect of depoliticizing homosexualiry by The Theme of Lesbianism 171 presenting it simply as another of lile many examples of human behavior, Konigsdorf p uts into practicc her view of tbe new function of lireratllre as formulated in ! 989 odtr Bin /o.' fol!le/lt S clJo'nhtit after the disappea rance of the G DR 's state censorship whieh controlled the mass-media, In post-1989 sociery, Konigsclorf realizes that it is lime fo r literarure to cast off the task of replacing journalism: flilit ihref Sensibilir:at [der LiteramrJ ftir Erscheinungen kann sie auf alle Probleme der Well schr schnell re:lgieren. Sic kann also vorprcschen und unbequem sein. Wird sic aber als Vorhut allein gelassen, wird ihe garallcs mogliche angeuagen, was ihre Sache nicin iSl, gcrat sie leicht in zwielichtige Sinmtionen. (Konigsdorf, Sehiinbelt 78-79) On the other hand, Konigsdorf's deciSion to treat homosexuality with neutralIty, disregarding (he fac i lhat It still remams largely t:lboo, confers a utopian dimension on the novel. The ease with which these twO women live am their relatlonship, added to lhe gener:l! acceptance of lheir choice by lhe people who know lhem, o ffe rs little in lhe way o f re:llism and can therefore be described as utopian, This is especially tcue If one con:;iders the religious and plOvlllcia! backwater in Thuringia where fhe wme[ spends some lime in hopes of being able to redefine her identity and find Ulspuauon for her new book. Here, no reactions of disapproval or even of surprise at he r relationship widl Maria are reponed in the novel. Though K6nigsdorf's decision to deal with the theme of lesbian ism without regard to its political implications is certainly one of the strengths of Gleich ,!tben Afn'ka, it is also a facto r which undermines the sense of coherence of dle novel as a whole, The main theme of the novel is the writer's identity cri:;ls which leads her 10 analyze both her past, reac1ung as far back as (0 consider the impact of Fascism on her family, and her present, trying to come to terms wilh Ihe political earthquake which has just shaken {he foundatjons o f her life. However, in this pro found re-assessment of herself, she omits [he consideration of her sexuality. Even if her relationship widl l-,'Iaria might be stmply an experiment, it could be ar!:,rued that to enb>1lge in a homosexual relationship, especially 172 Fonts on Gtrman SII/diu for somebody with a heterosexual background, represents a radical change of perspective. Despite the writer's confusion, which causes her to swing ~£Wten her desire to be with Maria and to be with a man, her sexual choice does not appear among the dements that determine her identiry crisis. This lack of coherence assumes a further dimension in me light of me crisis suffered by the writer, as this also involves her political choices. Her journey back to Thuringia offcrs her the opporrumry [Q re-examine her c=arlier political education as well as her reasons for adopting the socialiSt ideal. It seems surprising that she ne,-cr sees her choice as contradicting the beliefs of me Parry of which she was a member. Given the SED's strong rejection of any sexual orientation other than heterosexuality, she never asks herself, for example, how her life would have been had she entered a homosexual relationship during the GDR years, For this reason, her homosexual and political identities appear to be completely separate, On me one hand, (he protagonist is pOrtr.1yed as having the necessary experimental energy to embark on a lesbian relationship, O n the other hand, in me re-examination of her political identity, she comes across as a conformist whose decision to embrace the socialist ideals was the outcome of the education she re£eived, The process in which she learns to have an mdependent mind and be: her own person is not described in me novel, thus creating a split berween her identity as a Party member before 1989 and a lesbian after the IPende, As a result of me contradictory narure of these identities, the main character's homosex\.al identity comes across as feeble and dis(anr from reality, and does not seem (0 fit w1(h her lifestyle and her way of thinking, It appears lllmost as if Konigsdorf had decided to place her protagonist ill a homosexual relationship at the very last minute, Consequently, she is a very deep and at the same rime shallow and superficial charncter, depending on whether the focus is on her political or homosexual identity, Because of the exuemes contained within the same fictional figure, the protagonist loses her moral strength and credlbihty, Another aspect of Gleich nebm Afnka shows mat the credibility of [he main character's homosexual identity is fragile: the utopian dimension of the novel created by the naruralness with which the relationship between the writer and Maria is accepted. Though The Theme of Lesbianism 173 the depoliticization of homosexuality is one of rhe suengths of this work, and it should not be forgotten that the work is seml­ autobiographical, Subsequently, it seems very inlpon3nt ,thal lhe protagonist remains credible, especiaUy since thiS is a work III winch Konigsdorf herself is trying to understand, through her ficno~al figure, why the GDR collapsed, The inuoduction of ho"?osexuality as a Ulopian dimension to the novel confuses these Issues and weakens the authentic sense of the crisis hvecl by many people III the post-Wende period, which is so well re-created elsewhere in the pages of tins novel. In the end, the reader has the in~pressi.on (hat Konigsdorf herself is the narrator whenever the focus IS on life after the If/mde or on the political analysis of ch:lIlge, whLle she reverts [Q being a purely fictional character when the novel assumes the tones of :l thriller or focuses on tbe homosexual love story, Finally, Gleich nehell Afn'ka allows some consideration of the relationship between Konigsdorf as a committed writer, a term she has often used to describe herself, and her deciSIon to present a highly con(coversial topic such as homosexuality in a matter-of-fact way, As she has often suessed the role of intdlecmals as promoters of a critical culnne, and the fact that she disregards the taboo na[U£(: of homosexuahty raises [he question about rhe most effective way to fight a taboo in a work of !lction, Instead of underli,ning ,the discriminatory attitude shown towards homosexual relanonshlps, and transforming her characters mto pOiential victims of tlu:; social order she lets them live their love like any other, In this context, Koni~sdorf's approach to the task of acting 3S an advocate of cnucal culture is very original. Rather than losing herself in lengthy diSCUSSion of lesbianism, she sets an example of tolerance and open-mindedness for her readers to emulate, Georgina Paul has welcomed Gleich IItben Afrika as a work marking progress (awards ovcrcommg what she defines as the inarticulacy of lesbian li terature, that is the difficulty to find the appropriate language to deal wi th this (OPIC, precisely because of Konigsdorf's decision not to turn lesbianism uno a (pohucaJ) issue (paul 226-237). \X/hen compared to the GDR works In which attempts were made to deal with lesbianism, Glei(h neben Afn'ka can without douhl be considered as innovative and progressive, chiefly for (he way in wh ich Konigsdorf takes a maner-of-faCl approach to the love 174 ForllS on Gennall SIl/diu re1ationship berween lhe tWO women. Nonetheless, as a consequence of the lack of coherence in me ponrayai of the protagonist, who, in a time o f profound self-questioning, analyzes all the elements of her identity apan from her homosexuality, K6nigsdorf 's approach ( 0 the theme of lesbianism can appear lighrweighL From this perspective, her decision to place a homosexual love s[Qry in the background of a book which focuses on coming to terms with the IVmde arouses the suspicion (hal the author is just as concerned as her protagonist about the clifficulry of finding a publisher in the aftermath of unification: l cb harte sam r.l iche Zeirungen, von dec Prawda bis zur Frankfurter Allgemeinen, mit Arrikeln begluckt. Jetzt druckte rruch nicht einmal mehr das Neue Deutschland, weil die Leser meine AHikei satt hatten. Aber auch weil die Redakteure Angst hanen, sich mit mir in die Nesseln Zll setzen . (AI';'" 15-16) Ultimately, [his concern might be the reason why Konigsdorf decides 1O include in hee novel an element such as lesbianism which, by inspiring curiosiry and distracting mention from the policical discussion, could help [0 make hee work more marketable. This suspicion is furthermore increased by the fact thaI in 1990 she resigned from her job at the Akademie d,er lFimnschaften [Q become a freelance writer, and therefore was entering a period of great financial uncercainty. The fac t that Kbnigsdorf makes her protagoniS( confess tha t she is at a loss regarding the sub ject matter for her novel intensifies our suspicion. T he protagonisr of Gleich neben Afiika would like to write about life: "Der Roman, urn den es mit eigentlich ging, war das Leben. Aber das behieh ieh sorgsam fur mich" (Afiika 13) . However, she is aware that the readership is tired of being pushed into self­ questioning and does not want to hear any more abom identiry crises: "Aber nicht einmal die Sintflut interessiene !loch irgend jemanden. Die Le ule harren andere Sorgen" (Afrika 16). From Maria comes the advice that p«=ople would like to read "e(Was Sch6nes. Ein billchen Liebe. Oder so" (Afdko 96). As the main character's The Theme of Lesbianism 175 life n:sembles Konigsdorf's, the parallel between nctional and real writer is constantly evident, rims leading us to think that perhaps the introduction o f the love story is nothing more than a device [ 0 mask the predominant theme o f lhe novel and make it more acc«=ptable and enjoyable. If rhis is the case, it would emphasize the creative crisis which Konigsdorf was undergoi ng in the early 19905, bur it would also underline her lightweigln tream1ent of a still little discussed topic such as lesbianism. Univerri!J of Bath NOles I For a discussion of the theme of homosexuality in Un!,ll(gtmr Bifund, see I-laines. She attenlptS a Freudian reading of the novel based on the supposition mat Dieter Jhanz suffers from an Oedipal crisis. She also discusses how homosexuality ",'as viewed In the GDR. 2 Exuac[ed from the Fami!J Com of 1965. J With the ddecion of § 174 of [he Slmfgmtzbll(h (StGU). At lhe same time, § 151 was introduced which made homose:.;:ual relations, Including lesbian relations, between persons over 18 with persons under 18 years of age a punishable offence. • In 1987,40% of EaSt German marriages ended up In divorce, onc of the highest divorce r:lles in the world. More than half bwke down widun three years. See Kolinsky 261. S This story is part of the collection by Wolter 117/1 irh meine U!IS(hiJld f'ericr, 26-35. It is also discussed by Paul 231. 6 In late 1989, Gabriele Kacnold published a volum!! of pro5t:/POCU:Y, Ziigtl 101. In 1991, following the: example of Ivlaxie Wander, Kt:rstin Gutsche compiled a colk ction of interviews with lesbian~, hh ahfliJlI!,lumr Engel: L ubmprot(jkolk. 7 \'\folf concludes Kallandra wi th the image of a utopi:ln community, the "Ida-Berg Gemeinscha ft," in which women and a few men live peacefully, without hierarchy and privare property, far from Ihe violence of pauiarchal society represented by Troy and its war. 176 Foctl! on German Studies \X'orks Cited Ande~son, Edith, ed. 81irzalls h~ilrel!J HinlHJd RostOck: H instOrff, 1975. GU[5che, Kersrin. hh ahllNngskiur Engd- Lesblnpromkolk. Bcrhn: Reiher. 199 1. Haines, Brigid. ''Bmschaft aus einem seltsamen Land: Helga Korugsdo rf and Her Critics." Geil! lind AlrKht: If'rifm and tbr Stalt in tlx CDR Gmllan Monitor 29. Ed. A. Goodbody and n Tate. Amsterdam: Rodopl, 1992. 140·150. Hein, Christoph. Von aI/tiN A,!/onl, all. Berlin: Aufbau, 1997. Herminghouse, Pall'icia. ''Wunschbild, Vorbild oder Portrat? 2ur Darstcllung der Frau Un Ronun del: DOR." Litlraiur "lid Lilmuurthtorn in dtr DDR Ed. Peter Uwe Hohendahl and Pauida Herminghouse. Frankfurt am l\:fa.in: $uhrkalllp, 1976.281-334. Kachold, Gabriele. ZiigtlloJ. Berlin: Aufbau, 1989. Kolinsky, E. 1170mm ill G:mltmporary Germany: ufo. IWork ad PoliriC,J. Oxford: Berg, 1993, Konigsdorf, Helga. 1989 oder Ein Moment SchiJllbeit: Eine Co/luge all! Bn'ifel', Gedichun, Ttxltn. Berlin: Aufbau, 1990. Ungt/rgener Btfond: Briifr0man Berlin: Aufbau, 1990. Gleich mbtrl Afrika: Erziiblung. Berlin: Rowohlt, 1992. Morgner, lrmtraud. Ltbm ulld Abenfrller der T rohadora Beatriz ntUb Zellgniuen ibrff Splt/frall ulira: &moll in drei:r!bn BJi{btm liNd ;irbtll Illtermezzos. Berlin: Aufbau, 1980. Paul, Georgina. "Ober Verschwiegencs sprechcn." W'omtll orld tbe Wmde. Ed. Elizabeth Boa and Janel Wharton. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1994. 226·237. . \'(Iander, r.. laxie. Gillen Alorgm, du S,hiine - Frallen in der DDR: Proto~11e. 1977. Darmstadc Luchrerhand, 1979. Wolf, Christa.. KmsaJldra. Darmstadt: Luchterhand, 1995. Woltcr, C1tistine. Wie ub md'le UIIHhll/d vufor. Berlin: Aufbau, 1976. Beyond Collective I\ifemory? The Reestablishment o f Jewish Life in Post-Holocaust Germany Nadine Blumer rro what extent is colle:ccive memory used as a lens through .1 which people define their present-day reality? To what ex tent does communal remembrance implicare a manifestation of ideology? How do these questions speci fi cally relate to praccices of remembering and memorializacion for German-Jews and non-Jewish Germans curren cly living in Germany? When dealing with memory as a collective enterprise, cl1e objeccivity of hiS[Qrical fact becomes subjec t to the political inrerests of competing groups. It is as well the variety of memoriu within Jewish communities lhat deRect off ont another to create clle present landscape of Jewish life in Germany. It is all of these memories, working alongside and against each other thar reveal the production o f memory practices. A new Jewish Berli n? In the summcr of 2001 1 1 spem six weeks in Berlin where T became familia r wilh the Jewish community and its members, and explored the many Holocaust-related memorial siles and museums that dOl the city. \'(fhen 1 first arrived, my intentions were to interview as many German-Jews as possible. The term German-Jew, however, has become ralher ambiguous and is no longer open to straightfo rwa rd definicion. The destruction of Jewish life in Europe as it was known before rhe Second World War produced that effect. Today there are many diffe rent kinds o f Jews living in Germany and no one is a German-Jew in clle prewar sense of the word. There are of course those Jews born in Ge rmany or those of Gcrman descent, but for the most part, even Lhese individuals, their parents, or grandparents experienced the chasm imposed upon German-Judamll by lilt: