Memory and testimony in Günter Grass' work

• Grant number: 12/25469-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: February 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Modern Foreign Literatures
• Principal Investigator: Márcio Orlando Seligmann-Silva
• Grantee: Bruno Mendes dos Santos
• Supervisor: Hans Richard Brittnacher
• Host Institution: Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem (IEL). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/04481-8 - Testimony and memory in Günter grass' work, BP.MS

Abstract

This project aims a period of research abroad, in the Freie Universitaet Berlin, in order to deeply analyze some works of the German writer Günter Grass (1927-) - namely, The Tin Drum (1959), Cat and Mouse (1961), Dog Years (1965) and Peeling the Onion (2006) - regarding the concepts of Memory and Testimony discussed in literary circles. After researching theoretical aspects, we propose to identify the strategies and solutions applied by the author in order to represent the historical period between the First World War and the years post Second World War, taking into account Grass' position as social subject and object, in one of the most representative environments of 20th century world history. Moreover, we will study Grass' declarations and texts about his own works, personal experiences and perception concerning memory and history, for further verification of his literary methods and intentions. (AU)