In: HeLix - Heidelberger Beiträge zur romanischen Literaturwissenschaft, 4 (2011), S. 18-49

Abstract

Starting with psychoanalytic theory and focusing on the terms “second generation” and “transgenerational transmission of trauma,” the paper tries to depict Sergio Chejfec??\x99s novel Lenta biografía as exemplary narration of the second Shoah generation. An examination of psychoanalytic concepts and their specific aspects is followed by a close reading of Chejfec’s novel in order to scrutinize characteristics of the trans-generational transmission of trauma. Silence as a key aspect of the transmission of trauma will be brought to the fore by investigating both the relationship between catastrophe and the unspeakable and issues involved with verbalizing traumatic memories. The article ends with a formal and content analysis of Lenta biografía in order to highlight the relationship between silence and the father’s trauma as well as the son’s traumatization.