La trasmissione transgenerazionale del trauma in Das besondere Gedächtnis der Rosa Masur (2001) di Vladimir Vertlib

This contribution aims to investigate how the transgenerational transmission of traumatic events is represented in Vladimir Vertlib’s novel Das besondere Gedächtnis der Rosa Masur (2001). Drawing on epigenetic and psychoanalytic research, as well as cultural studies on memory and post-memory, the essay argues that literature from Eastern Europe serves as a paradigm for post-traumatic expression and the transgenerational transmission of trauma. As a post-modern family novel spanning several generations and depicting psychological issues within the family, Vertlib’s work offers a compelling example. The novel traces themes of migration, the Soviet past, and Jewish discrimination and persecution – traumas experienced directly by the protagonist and unconsciously passed on to the next generation. The essay particularly highlights literature’s potential in reconstructing memory – a medium that does not claim authenticity, but precisely for this reason engages the reader with its full expressive power.