Überlegungen zur Funktion der Nicht-Orte in Anna Mitgutschs Roman "In fremden Städten"
Reflections on the function of non-places in Anna Mitgutsch's novel "In Fremden Städten"

Summary/Abstract: The present paper explores the role of non-places in Anna Mitgutsch’s novel "In fremden Städten"/ "In Foreign Cities". The novel starts in a transit lounge, a non-place according to the French ethnologist and anthropologist Marc Augé. Lilian, the main character, leaves Austria and returns to the USA, her home country. Thus, she hopes to complete her self-image, much affected by her immigration to Europe. Lilian is rejected by Josef’s family from the very beginning because she refuses to undertake the traditional role of a wife and mother. The protagonist tries to rediscover the feeling of belonging and returns to her home country with the hope that she will be able to get over the identity crisis she is faced with. Back in America, she realizes that it is impossible for her to attain the feeling of protection and belonging. She is caught for good in an identity trap, in-between two languages, two continents, and two cultures. Only in non-places such as airports, travel agencies, hotels, trolleybuses, trains, and the holiday home of her sister can Lilian find temporary comfort.

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