Jurek Becker: A Jew Who Became a German

(Hardback)

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Jurek Becker is one of the most important post-war German authors. His first novel, Jacob the Liar, already has the status of a classic of post-1945 European literature about the Holocaust and has been widely translated. This timely book traces the main events in Becker's unusual personal history: his childhood experiences in the Lodz Ghetto and in the concentration camps of Ravensbruck and Sachsenhausen, his life in the GDR, and his move to the West. The author reflects both on Becker's quest for his Jewish identity as well as on his achievements in terms of narrative technique, formal innovation and style. Examining Becker's treatment of the Holocaust in his novels and stories, the author highlights their central themes of hope as resistance to barbarity, the idea of memory, the inability of a survivor of the camps to overcome psychological scars, but also the provocative portrayal of Jews as oppressors who take revenge on their former persecutors. Becker's portrayal of life in former East Germany, the role of gender relations, the problems facing a writer under a socialist regime, and East-West German relations are also investigated. As the first comprehensive assessment of Becker's life and work, this book will be essential reading for those interested in German and Holocaust literature, critical theory and German studies.

Reviews

'Becker (1937-97) ranks as one of the most important German writers of the postwar period and as a major figure in Holocaust literature. Rock's balanced assessment of his writing ... is the first comprehensive study of Becker's work to appear since his death.' Choice 'Clear-eyed and well-written.' Modern Language Review 'This compact volume on Jurek Becker and his works offers an intimate portrayal of the author and a thoughtful examination of his exclusive identity...[The book] will prove invaluable to a wide audience of scholars eager to gain a better sense of Jurek Becker, his writings, and his place in cultural history.' German Studies Review

Author Bio

David Rock Keele University