Falling Silent

Abstract This article argues that Merethe Lindstrøm’s 2011 novel Dager i stillhetens historie portrays a collapse of the familial memory transmission structures that are normally involved in the making of postmemory, as defined by Marianne Hirsch. My analysis of the novel describes how i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dean Krouk
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Scandinavian University Press 2017-01-01
Series:Edda
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.idunn.no/edda/2017/04/falling_silent
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Summary:Abstract This article argues that Merethe Lindstrøm’s 2011 novel Dager i stillhetens historie portrays a collapse of the familial memory transmission structures that are normally involved in the making of postmemory, as defined by Marianne Hirsch. My analysis of the novel describes how it represents traumatic memories related to the Holocaust and how it portrays the struggle of listening to traumatic memories. Further, I describe the character Simon’s retreat into the isolation of silence as an engagement with traumatic loss and an attempt to reconnect with his former identity and lost family. Lastly, I draw on Hirsch’s analysis of the role of photographs in familial memory transfer to analyze passages in the novel that show what I call the breakdown of postmemory.
ISSN:0013-0818
1500-1989