CHRONIST OHNE BOTSCHAFT: CHRISTOPH HEINS ÄSTHETIK DES (VER)SCHWEIGENS IN „DER FREMDE FREUND / DRACHENBLUT”
CHRONIST WITHOUT A MESSAGE: CHRISTOPH HEINS AESTHETICS OF (VER) SILENCE IN "THE STRANGER FRIEND / DRAGON'S BLOOD"

Summary/Abstract: Christoph Hein’s novella “Der fremde Freund / Drachenblut” was published in 1982. It depicts the destiny and life of the East-Berliner doctor Claudia, whose monologue reveals concealed and internalized traumas. The last ones show significant signs of emotional and verbal reluctance, which go far beyond the private or intimate sphere. Thus, and based on the protagonist’s laconism, the present article aims to surface the social stigma of a ‘culture of silence’ in the former GDR. It also endeavors to emphasize the aesthetic implications of the author’s controversial status as ‘chronicler without message’.

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