PHENOMENA OF “MEMORY” AND “LOST GENERATION” IN BERNHARD SCHLINK’S NOVEL “THE GRANDDAUGHTER”

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to consider the phenomena of “memory”, “lost generation”, as well as “national identity” in the work of the modern German writer Bernhard Schlink using the example of the novel “The Granddaughter”. His novel “The Granddaughter”, like most of Schlink’s works (a trilogy about Detective Selb, “Reader”, “Return”, “Olga”, etc.) is devoted to the attitude of Germans to the hard past of their country. The article reveals a whole series of deep psychological, social, political problems touched upon by the author in the work, including special attention to the problem of the emergence of a new “lost generation”, as well as collective memory about historical events of the past and nationalist views of the present time. Particular attention in the study is paid to the existence of penal colonies for minors on the GDR’s territory, which had first been mentioned by Schlink as part of his work. The article gives an understanding of the special figurative and historical value of the novel for German literature.