Crises of Memory and the Second World War

by Susan Rubin Suleiman

Overview

In this acclaimed book, renowned Harvard scholar Susan Rubin Suleiman discusses individual and collective memories of World War II, as reflected in literary memoirs, autobiographical novels, works of history and philosophy, and films. Suleiman argues that memories of World War II transcend national boundaries, due not only to the global nature of the war but also to the increasingly global presence of the Holocaust as a site of collective memory. Among the works she discusses are Jean-Paul Sartre's essays on the Occupation and Resistance in France; Marcel Ophuls's innovative documentary on the Nazi interrogator Klaus Barbie, who was tried for crimes against humanity in 1987; István Szabó's film "Sunshine," a chronicle of Jewish identity in central Europe; literary memoirs by Jorge Semprun and Elie Wiesel; and experimental writing by child survivors of the Holocaust, Georges Perec and Raymond Federman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475191530
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	05/22/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Susan Rubin Suleiman is the Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction: Crises of Memory     1
"Choosing Our Past": Jean-Paul Sartre as Memoirist of Occupied France     13
Narrative Desire: The "Aubrac Affair" and National Memory of the French Resistance     36
Commemorating the Illustrious Dead: Jean Moulin and Andre Malraux     62
History, Memory, and Moral Judgment after the Holocaust: Marcel Ophuls's Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie     77
Anamnesis: Remembering Jewish Identity in Central Europe after Communism: Istvan Szabo's Sunshine     106
Revision: Historical Trauma and Literary Testimony: The Buchenwald Memoirs of Jorge Semprun     132
Do Facts Matter in Holocaust Memoirs?: Wilkomirski/Wiesel     159
The Edge of Memory: Experimental Writing and the 1.5 Generation: Perec/Federman     178
Amnesia and Amnesty: Reflections on Forgetting and Forgiving     215
Notes     235
Works Cited     261
Index     279

Editorial Reviews

Suleiman's book offers us no sure way of overcoming "crises of memory," but it admirably succeeds in guiding us through a memory landscape that is still (or again) littered with explosive underground mines.--John Neubauer "Shofar "

Suleiman's book results from prolonged reflection going back at least to her autobiographical "Budapest Diary" (1996). The textual analyses illustrating the evolution of collective memory range chronologically from Sartre's essays on the Occupation to 21st-century works, including novels, essays, memoirs, and documentary and fictional films...Although she cites numerous studies in several languages, from various disciplines, Suleiman's erudition never overpowers or descends to jargon. She poses crucial questions about writing and rewriting, or narrative and generic expectations, debating with other theorists as she does so. Suleiman has written a beautiful book, one that tackles uncomfortable questions about official myths and commemorations, juridically unforgettable crimes, and Jewish identity versus national assimilation. The adjective 'exhilarating, ' which Suleiman uses to describe Elie Wiesel's self-correction in "All Rivers Run to the Sea," applies equally to this book. The vast

Suleiman's erudite and elegant essays display a profound understanding of the complexities of memory.--Chuck Leddy"Boston Globe" (07/26/2006)

From the Publisher

Suleiman's book offers us no sure way of overcoming "crises of memory," but it admirably succeeds in guiding us through a memory landscape that is still (or again) littered with explosive underground mines.
— John Neubauer

Shofar

Suleiman's book results from prolonged reflection going back at least to her autobiographical Budapest Diary (1996). The textual analyses illustrating the evolution of collective memory range chronologically from Sartre's essays on the Occupation to 21st-century works, including novels, essays, memoirs, and documentary and fictional films...Although she cites numerous studies in several languages, from various disciplines, Suleiman's erudition never overpowers or descends to jargon. She poses crucial questions about writing and rewriting, or narrative and generic expectations, debating with other theorists as she does so. Suleiman has written a beautiful book, one that tackles uncomfortable questions about official myths and commemorations, juridically unforgettable crimes, and Jewish identity versus national assimilation. The adjective 'exhilarating,' which Suleiman uses to describe Elie Wiesel's self-correction in All Rivers Run to the Sea, applies equally to this book. The vast WW II and Holocaust literature has needed a study of this clarity and brilliance. Summing Up: Essential.
— A.M. Rea

Choice

Suleiman's erudite and elegant essays display a profound understanding of the complexities of memory.
— Chuck Leddy

Boston Globe