German historical memory and literature under scrutiny

A discussion in Anklam on October 8 will examine how the German Democratic Republic (GDR) addressed its National Socialist past and the rise of right-wing extremism. Experts Dr. Volker Höffer from the Stasi Records Archive and Dr. Lars Tschirschwitz will discuss how the SED regime, the Stasi, and the Volkspolizei handled xenophobia and antisemitism. While the GDR officially claimed to be a state free of fascism, the discussion will highlight how authorities often concealed rather than addressed extremist subcultures and attacks on foreign workers.

In literature, Shida Bazyar’s novel ‘Die Lücken’ (The Gaps) is a contender for the German Book Prize. The novel explores the historical evolution of hatred and coexistence in a fictionalized German village over 90 years. Through a mosaic of episodes, Bazyar examines the complexities of the Nazi era, the impact of antisemitism, and the experiences of families with foreign roots, questioning the depth of Germany’s historical processing.