Scholarly Article

The Holocaust between Pop Literature and High Literature: Maxim Biller's Inside the Head of Bruno Schulz

Ibler, Reinhard

2023-09-30 · Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne · Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan

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Abstract

Maxim Biller, one of the most prominent, but also most controversial German-Jewish authors, is an important figure in modern Holocaust literature. After a short introduction to his early journalistic and literary oeuvre dealing with the Holocaust, we will focus on his novella Inside the Head of Bruno Schulz from 2013. A short outline of the story will be followed by a detailed analysis of therole the Holocaust plays in this story, especially with regard to the two protagonists, Bruno Schulz and Thomas Mann. It will be shown that the pop-literary provocations that dominate Billers' early works, are now displaced by clear tendencies towards a high literary, artistic standard, which are characteristic for the developments of modern Holocaust literature in general.

Keywords

Holocaust literature, Jewish literature, Maxim Biller, Bruno Schulz, Thomas Mann

Citation Details

Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne