The Culture of Remembrance and Coming to Terms with the Past in Post-World War II Literary Texts

Abstract

The concepts of “culture of remembrance” and “coming to terms with the past” play a central role in Germany’s engagement with the consequences of World War II and the legacy of National Socialism. Together, they form an important basis of Germany’s postwar democratic identity and provide frameworks for public dialogue about historical events, especially guilt, responsibility, and collective memory. A culture of remembrance encompasses how a society recalls and preserves its past. It is expressed not only through memorials and museums but also through literary representations of historical experience. The purpose of remembrance and engagement with the past is to preserve historical memory, transmit it to future generations, and cultivate an awareness of human dignity and peace. After 1945, German authors confronted the crimes of National Socialism; questions of guilt and responsibility consequently became central concerns of postwar literature.