The Objects of Remembrance: Jenny Erpenbeck's Short Stories Alongside Contemporary Exhibitions of East German Material Culture

This article highlights the intersection of Jenny Erpenbeck's short stories and exhibitions of East German material culture. Erpenbeck, a leading voice in contemporary German literature, is central to understanding the role of material culture in the dynamic and emotionally charged memory contests surrounding the East German past. This article demonstrates how Erpenbeck's short prose about everyday objects, such as spoons and drip-catchers, provides counternarratives for what have become traditional modes of displaying East German material culture in museums of history and everyday life.