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Grunberg discusses new novel about guilt and Germany

In interviews about Himmler in New York, the writer addresses fate, guilt, Israel, Germany and Gaza.

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Arnon Grunberg discusses his new novel Himmler in New York in interviews. In conversations on VPRO and Buitenhof, interviewers link the book to questions of guilt, culpability, Germany and the current relationship between Israel and Gaza.

The novel Himmler in New York has been available since 3 November, according to Grunberg’s own website. The writer discusses the book in various media. VPRO describes it as a novel about fate and guilt, Israel, Germany and Gaza. VPRO thereby links the novel to current political and historical questions.

Tzum published an account of the conversation Grunberg had on Buitenhof with presenter Maaike Schoon. According to the public summary, the United States as a refuge, victimhood, culpability and the German perspective were discussed. The name of the main character, H, is also mentioned in the description.

The title refers to Heinrich Himmler, one of the most important leaders of Nazi Germany. On the basis of the public sources, it cannot be established that the novel is a historical reconstruction of Himmler’s life. The available descriptions present the book as a literary novel in which guilt and history are examined in a contemporary context.

Grunberg’s interest in Germany fits with a recurring theme in his work and public appearances. In a public post about the interview, the writer himself said that he finds the German perspective interesting because Germany is still struggling with its past. That is his interpretation of the subject, not a finding about the views of all Germans.

The timing makes the book relevant to the books desk. The novel appears at a time when discussions about Israel, Gaza, antisemitism, historical responsibility and the limits of victimhood are strongly intertwined. In interviews, Grunberg connects these themes to literature, but the sources give no reason to present his novel as a political programme.

What readers will think of the book exactly falls outside a factual news report and is not assessed here. It is nevertheless established that the novel is new, that Grunberg is speaking publicly about it on Friday and that the public explanations mainly point to a combination of personal guilt, German history and contemporary geopolitics. The full literary significance remains a matter of interpretation for readers and critics.

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