Places Wolf's controversial career in its political context
In this chronological study of Christa Wolf's novels, short stories, and essays, Margit Resch surveys the literary career of one of Germany's most acclaimed writers. Resch examines the link between Wolf's writing and her country's traumatic past and contends that any assessment of the writer must consider the historical metamorphoses of Germany during her lifetime—from fascism to socialism to democracy.
Resch explores central questions about Wolf's life and work, including why Wolf, who enjoyed unrestricted travel privileges, remained in the East when she could easily have defected; how she was able to survive artistically in an authoritarian regime; which qualities in her writing earned the respect of major critics on both sides of the Wall; why she has chosen not to identify with the feminist movement; and what she has contributed to German and world literature.
Resch provides careful readings of Wolf's major works, including Divided Heaven, The Quest for Christa T., Patterns of Childhood, Cassandra, and What Remains.
Margit Resch is a professor of German at the University of South Carolina.