Ingo Schulze's Handy. Thirteen Tales in the Old Style: Another look at East(ern) Germanness and identity formation

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In this Subject: History ,&nbsp; Literature ,&nbsp; Political Science
By this author: Cosentino, Christine

Author: Cosentino, Christine

Source: German Monitor, Dislocation and Reorientation Exile, Division and the End of Communism in German Culture and Politics, In Honour of Ian Wallace, Edited by Axel Goodbody Pól Ó Dochartaigh Dennis Tate , pp. 269-277(9)

Publisher: Rodopi

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Abstract:

In 2007, Ingo Schulze published a collection of stories called Handy. Dreizehn Geschichten in alter Manier. The title seems to suggest that Schulze has left his usual topic of the socio-economic East-West scene behind and has discovered new ground: namely challenges or potential problems of the age of technology and cyberspace. Yet the scene in many stories is the old one: the majority of the featured protagonists are former East Germans, trying to make sense of their bewildering lives. In leitmotivic form, the cell phone, with all its pros and cons, functions as an expression of the newcomers' irritations as well as their enthusiasm for new challenges. Above all, however, the cell phone functions in many stories as a threatening symbol of exposure to pressures and problems that make East(ern) Germans feel ill at ease.

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2009-05-01