Self-Interview by Esther Dischereit—Based on a Conversation with Sonja Fritzsche and Jennifer Good

Abstract

In some ways, the work of the prominent German author Esther Dischereit defies categorization. She is and German in a land that still has difficulty reconciling those two identities. Her work is steeped in history and rejects a superficial interest in all things Jewish while grieving the loss of life and heritage that resulted from the Shoah. She greatly values her self-understanding and artistic freedom, yet is compelled to express what she experiences in Germany as a member of a minority, refusing to be fixed in a limiting identity. Unlike many of the first generation of German writers, she bears witness not to the Holocaust itself, but to how it is both remembered and forgotten in twenty-first-century Germany. Themes of alienation and otherness in German society, intergenerational discussions and conflicts, and gender and sexuality inform her fascinating character portrayals as well as her unique and alternative ways of addressing contemporary problems and issues. Her texts are linked to the tradition of feminist literature in Germany and also reflect Dischereit's identity as a citizen (Burgerin); her complexity as an author resides in the meeting of these two ideals-the careful thought and feeling of the literary mind and a deep engagement in the world. In this interview, Dischereit reveals her discomfort with the limits of labels, while still affirming her place in Germany's present-day community. She talks about the audience for her work and what she believes that she has to say to others. Her specific concerns about minority politics in Germany and the rush to normalization after reunification reveal her commitment to a public discourse about more than just her texts. Additionally, she shares some of her fascination with