Microhistories of the Holocaust: between factual and fictional narrative

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the complex relationship between fact and fiction in Holocaust narratives, focusing on the often-overlooked realm of microhistory. By applying Gérard Genette’s approach to narrative discourse, it scrutinizes Christopher R. Browning’s Remembering Survival and Omer Bartov’s Anatomy of a Genocide, thereby underscoring the distinction between microhistorical accounts and grand narratives. The core argument posits that microhistories, which emphasize first-person testimonies and bottom-up perspectives, introduce an additional layer of complexity to the line between fiction and nonfiction. Unlike macrohistories that center on broad social, economic, or political processes, microhistorical approaches delve into the lives of ordinary people and incorporate fictional elements to a greater extent. Consequently, the article emphasizes the significance of narrative theory in Holocaust historiography and explores the challenges of narrating the Holocaust through a microhistorical lens, which intensifies the use of fictional elements.