Representations of Heimat and trauma in selected German and Polish poetry and prose in Silesia, 1939--1949

Both Germans and Poles claim an historical right to Silesia, although Silesia has been Poland's westernmost province since 1945. As a result, it has been difficult for Poles and Germans to agree on how the history of Silesia should be portrayed. This project uses trauma theory, as articulated by Cathy Caruth, Kai Erickson, and others to analyze selected auto/biographical writings and poetry of Horst Schirm, Horst Bienek, Dagmar Nick, Czeslaw Milosz, Tadeusz Rozewicz, Emilia Michalska, Janina Jaworska-Demczakowa, and Alojzy Sliwa. The German authors tend to define a localized Heimat---their city or town, while Poles tend to view their Heimat as the Polish nation. Depictions of trauma also differ. Schirm and Bienek's trauma is closely tied to the loss of childhood and is presented through pathologies of memory: autistic response, silence, and false memory. Nick's poetry represents the trauma of refugees seeking acceptance. Her language explores the psychology of the moment of trauma. Milosz's poetic voice portrays the conflict between the desire to enjoy life and the need to be a voice for the dead. Similarly, Rozewicz accedes to the traditional role of Polish poets to guide the nation. Like Nick, he seeks to redefine and manipulate language in order to depict the trauma of World War II and its aftermath. The trauma of Poles and Germans is then applied to the question of writing a history of Silesia that both groups can accept---a difficult task, since each group sees the other as the author of their trauma. This project proposes that by refusing the framework that presents Poles and Germans as victim and persecutor, by voicing formerly repressed memories of trauma and guilt, and by uncovering the layers of historical truths that have been obscured by the myths of succeeding layers, two memory traditions can be reconciled. The result is a destabilized narrative where neither tradition occupies center stage.