Abstract

The article explores the situation, post-Holocaust Viennese society and rising anti-Semitism in Waldheim-Austria, and the background against which Schwaiger, an established mainstream Austrian author, writes the life history of Deutsch, a Holocaust survivor from Silesia whose native language is Yiddish. The relationship between interviewer and informant is analyzed as one of exploitation of a marginalized woman by a privileged one. Problems of ethics and authenticity are discussed and the question is raised whether Schwaiger exploits Deutsch for economic and ideological reasons, or whether the stereotypes and misrepresentations are the result of unnoticed cultural, intellectual, and linguistic barriers.

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