830 Literaturen germanischer Sprachen; Deutsche Literatur
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- Transylvanian Saxons (9) (remove)
The German minority emigrated massively from Romania after the fall of the communist regime in 1989, so the void left by it had to be filled with representatives of Romanian ethnicity. The main actors for the relations between the Saxons and the Romanians in Transylvania are the children who study in schools with German as a mother tongue. They will carry on the cultural heritage left by the Saxons. But how can we reach out for these children? The answer is given to us by the writer Anne Junesch in her book „Das Amenchen. Mäuseleben”, published in 2019. An attempt is being made to sensitize young readers to Transylvanian culture. With the help of a story centered around a fortified church and a main character from Germany, a world full of secrets and of the unknown is revealed to us. With small steps, an incursion is thus made into the almost lost world of the Transylvanian Saxons.
The German-speaking Saxon minority from Transylvania, a region in Romania, has almost disappeared due to the historical events after World War II and the fall of communism in December 1989. Therefore, the literary work that was created before 1990 is often considered to be a “lieu de mémoire”, a place of remembrance, for the Saxon culture. This article deals with the question whether Maria Haydl’s short stories can be considered as such or do they show too much influence of the politically imposed writing style in order to be authentic.
The novel “Wasserzeichen” was published at the Pop Publishing House in Ludwigsburg, Germany, in 2018. The destiny of the main character of the aforementioned literary work is undoubtedly linked to the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca. After finishing high school in Brașov, the young Eginald – who is not the same as the author of the novel – arrives in Cluj-Napoca where he first goes to the Faculty of Protestant Theology, from which he is relegated; afterwards, he starts the courses of another faculty, but before finishing his studies he is arrested by the Securitate. The life story of the young Transylvanian Saxon turns out to be a troubled one – full of defining experiences for his existence. Due to the relationships with the people whom he meets there, the romantic entanglements, and the betrayals he experiences, he matures quickly. The 1st person narrator becomes a true man in this predestinate space.
The following essay illustrates the extraordinary love story between Clemens Rescher and Rodica Neagoie. These key characters are representative figures for the nation they belong to. Clemens is a Transylvanian Saxon and Rodica a Romanian. Despite all contradictions, they fall in love, spend time together, travel to the Black Sea and plan their future. Even though they are bound to each other by strong feelings, this love cannot overcome all the preset cultural, ethnic and social obstacles. Clemens and Rodica become the victims of the world they live in.
The following essay is based on the narrative Die schiefe Fassade der Kindheit. Erfundene Familienkunde written by Eginald Schlattner. The action takes place in Transylvania, a region where several nations live together. The key concepts are identity and alterity, because only by analysing the other one can find and understand one’s own identify. The traits of the communities living together are portraited by Aunt Maly, a strong supporter of the German traditions and by Grisi, the grandmother, who presents the mentality of her people as opposed to the Romanian people. The story also reveals the conflicts between these two ethnical groups. Nevertheless life in Transylvania can be seen as an example of how people belonging to different cultures can peacefully live together.
Aspekte der Raumgestaltung in Andreas Birkners Erzählung "Der Brautschmuck des Sebastian Hann"
(2016)
Since the twentieth century, literary critics have identified as study component space and its meanings in literary texts. The Russian semiologist Yuri M. Lotman developed a theory based on the concept of space divided into several subspaces necessarily delimited by a boundary. These spaces are characterized by opposite features on topological, topographical and semantic level. Based on this theory, this paper aims to examine from this point of view the story Der Brautschmuck des Sebastian Hann [The Bride’s Jewels of Sebastian Hann] written by the Romanian German-language author Andreas Birkner. Concrete examples are given listing aspects of Lotman's theory , which enable reception of both the text and the author from a different perspective.
Auf Wolke Siebenbürgen … : eine Kindheit voller Gefahren. Die „Deportation“ und Rettung der Mutter
(2017)
Transylvania is a region that frequently appears in the texts of the German speaking writers from Romania. Walther Gottfried Seidner‘s story makes no exception. In the center is the narrator, a kindergarten child, who explores the history of Europe experienced from a subjective point of view. His attention is directed especially to the mother, who is in danger of being deported to the Soviet Union. The red thread of the narrative is interrupted by retrospectives, which complete the image of Transylvania at the beginning of the year 1945. This analysis refers to several aspects within the original text: the Cibin River and its significance to the community of Sibiu, the Christian cross and the swastika, the German National Socialism and the Communism, the deportation of the German minority.
This scientific article focuses on Ursula Ackrill’s novel ˮZeiden, im Januarˮ and its aim is to examine the specificity of present-day literature of the Transylvanian Saxons. Starting from the methodological considerations of Jan Assmann and Aleida Assmann, the concept of memorial culture will be exemplified and analyzed through relevant scenes of the novel, in close connection with Leontina Philippi’s approach of writing the chronicle of Codlea. Antonescu’s fascist dictatorship, the obligation for Saxon men to serve in the SS troops, the friendly collaboration between Antonescu and Hitler, the collaboration between German and Saxon military, the role of collaborators at that time, the Saxons’ customs and traditions, the portrait of the Jew of Lipscani street, Bucharest society during the rule of Ion Antonescu are just a few aspects of the novel which emphasize the intercultural character of this writing on the basis of communicative and cultural memory.
German in space and time is a central aspect both from a scientific perspective and from the perspective of one´s own identity preservation within the language island situation. MsGerhild Rudolf’s thesis offers an analysis of the choice of languages within the Evangelical Church A.B. in Romania (ECR) and at the same time a general overview of language change processes within the ECR. There is an irreversible paradigm shift that is taking place along with the ongoing transition from a monolingual to a bilingual linguistic culture in worship. The status of German in the public use of language is also reflected, the efforts of preserving the German language and culture are presented from a current perspective, and the importance of the German minority is discussed historically and in a forward-looking manner. The thesis offers sufficient reason as well to think about future research on the role of the church and of German from different perspectives, to also emphasize the relevance of interdisciplinarity