Transnational writers & Contemporary German Literature

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Eastern and Western Germany were reunited. The people from both sides could more conveniently communicate and exchange thoughts and ideas. Thus, Contemporary German Literature stepped into a new era which changed the “national culture based writing” into “global writing”. The transnational German-language writers played an important role in this development. 

To find out how and why transnational German-language writers influence contemporary German literature, I began to look up books by transnational writers. The first book I read was Nachtschwimmen im Rhein (Chinese version) by Lingyuan Luo, a Chinese-born writer now living in Germany. In her book, there are five love stories about relationships of girls from China with local German. She used the unique foreigner’s view to illustrate the relationship with local Germans and the feeling of foreigners. For example, one chapter in this book is talking about a German male show his love to a Chinese girl in his own way. The culture difference between Chinese and German is standing up through this story. This unique style of writing and special foreigner experience in German led her to be bestowed the highest honor in Germany for a foreign-born writer: the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize. After reading this book, I got some understanding of why transnational German-language writers have great influences on contemporary German literature and how they affect German culture.

The knowledge I got from that book coupled with my passion for reading literature led me to explore the deep influences of transnational German-language writers in Contemporary German Literature. Specifically, I will focus on how these transnational German-language writers use their special foreign experiences to build up new structures of German culture identity, and how they are changing the "national" writing" to "global” writing in Contemporary German Literature process. When I arrive in Berlin, I will experience the feelings that the transnational writers feel and achieve a better understanding of transnational literature and culture identity.

Secondary Sources:

1.Tawada, Yoko. Where Europe Begins. New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2002. Print.

2.Luo, Lingyuan. Nachtschwimmen im Rhein. Erzählungen. München 2008 (Chinese version)

3.Franzè, Federica, “The poetics of return: imagining home in German transnational narratives” Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations (1975): n pag. Web. 22 May 2011

Measuring the world

My passion for reading literature coupled with our trip to Humboldt University in Berlin later this summer, led me to read some books about the scientist Alexander von Humboldt. One of these books was named "Measuring the World" written by a famous German writer named Daniel Kehlmann.


This book is talks about the scientist Humboldt and his adventures around the world. Humboldt decides to measure the world because he is a genius, and his goal of measuring the world is really his attempt at greatness since he wants to be remembered for his discoveries. Humboldt was born into a wealthy family, and his education and upbringing contributed greatly to his interest in exploring the world. When he gets the opportunity, he quits his job and sets off to buy supplies and begin his journey. Along the way, his adventures and his seemingly disregard for his own well-being reveal his personality.


Kehlmann wrote:
It was almost evening when they reached the mouth of the legendary channel. Swarms of biting flies immediately descended on them. But as the heat dissipated, so did the haze; the sky cleared, and Humboldt could measure the degree of longitude. He worked all night, measuring the angle of the moon as it tracked across the Southern Cross. Then, by way of confirmation, fixing the ghostly spots of Jupiter's moons in his telescope. Nothing could be relied on, he said to the dog, who was observing him intently. Not the tables, not the instruments, not even the sky. One had to be so precise as to be disorder.


This passage highlights Humboldt's passion for his goal. Humboldt is very obsessed with his work and is concerned about every wasted minute because he is out there measuring and documenting everything he sees.


Hope my classmates will think this book and information are useful~~