Crises of memory and the Second World War

SR Suleiman - 2006 - philpapers.org
SR Suleiman
2006philpapers.org
In this acclaimed book, renowned Harvard scholar Susan Rubin Suleiman discusses
individual and collective memories of World War II, as reflected in literary memoirs,
autobiographical novels, works of history and philosophy, and films. Suleiman argues that
memories of World War II transcend national boundaries, due not only to the global nature of
the war but also to the increasingly global presence of the Holocaust as a site of collective
memory. Among the works she discusses are Jean-Paul Sartre's essays on the Occupation …
Abstract
In this acclaimed book, renowned Harvard scholar Susan Rubin Suleiman discusses individual and collective memories of World War II, as reflected in literary memoirs, autobiographical novels, works of history and philosophy, and films. Suleiman argues that memories of World War II transcend national boundaries, due not only to the global nature of the war but also to the increasingly global presence of the Holocaust as a site of collective memory. Among the works she discusses are Jean-Paul Sartre's essays on the Occupation and Resistance in France; Marcel Ophuls's innovative documentary on the Nazi interrogator Klaus Barbie, who was tried for crimes against humanity in 1987; István Szabó's film" Sunshine," a chronicle of Jewish identity in central Europe; literary memoirs by Jorge Semprun and Elie Wiesel; and experimental writing by child survivors of the Holocaust, Georges Perec and Raymond Federman.
philpapers.org