Vol. 14 (2020): XIV International Symposium Contemporary Issues of Literary Studies : The Silk Road Countries` Folklore
History and Collective Memory

Individual and Collective Memory in the Works of Givi Margvelashvili and Herta Müller

Nugesha Gagnidze
Akaki Tsereteli State University

Published 2020-10-20

Keywords

  • Totalitarianism,
  • Postmodernism,
  • Individual and Collective Memory

Abstract

Giwi Margwelashwili (1927-2020), a German-born Georgian writer, and Herta Müller (1957), a Romanian-born German novelist, lived in different cultural spaces under totalitarian regimes. Margwelashwili and Müller demonstrate the ways in which totalitarianism shapes individual human life and consciousness. Individual and collective memory are key concepts in their writing.

The present paper focuses on the life in concentration and labor camps and the tragedy of generations under totalitarian regimes as depicted in the texts of Margwelashwili and Müller. The study takes into account the literary-aesthetic views of Margwelashwili and Müller, shaping the constellation of imagery, structure and narrative style of their fiction.