"Nicht Vergangenes, was das Herz noch reut": Exile, memory, and the search for home in Herold Belger's Writings

Abstract

The article considers the German-language writings of the ethnic German Kazakh writer, Herold Belger, and explores whether his literary output can be understood as a model for moving beyond the postcolonial struggle for ethnic, cultural, and political autonomy in favor of intercultural encounters. Belger’s enunciation of cultural diversity and differences at the margins of Soviet cultural life gestures towards a relational and fluid conception of identity, one that eschews dogmatic nationalism. Various theoretical perspectives, such as Bhabha’s third space theory, Rothberg’s multidirectional memory, and Boym’s notions of nostalgia, shed light on Belger’s essay “Aul” and novel Das Haus des Heimatlosen.