Die syrische Heimat als Heterotopie - Suleman Taufiqs Café Dunya. Ein Tag in Damaskus und Rafik Schamis Sophia oder der Anfang aller Geschichten. In: Jelec, Marijana (hrsg.), Tendenzen in der Gegenwartsliteratur. Literaturwissenschaftliche und literaturdidaktische Perspektiven.

Abstract

Several studies have tackled the literary works of German authors of Arab origin. However, there is a research gap relating to German literature by German-Syrian authors that portrays the current situation in Syria. Addressing this gap, this paper studies the portrayal of the Syrian homeland in the recent German literature composed by German-Syrian authors in light of the social and political turmoil since 2011, using examples from the novels "Café Dunya. A Day in Damascus" (2015) by Suleman Taufiq and "Sophia or the Beginning of All Stories" (2015) by Rafik Schami. The paper applies the methodological approach of the "Chronotope" concept, which is based on the assumption that the structuring of space and time in literature has an interrelated relationship. Michel Foucault’s theses concerning the term "Heterotopia" are transferred to the space configuration of both novels and brought into connection with their time formation.