The Past does not end here: Memory and "Collective Enunciation" in Antje Ravic Strubel's Sturz der Tage in die Nacht (2011)

Antje Ravic Strubel's works are known for problematizing individual and collective memory. Her characters' lives are impacted by the lingering memories of the GDR, the Wende and German unification. This article explores the relationship between memory and present-day identity in her 2011 novel, Sturz der Tage in die Nacht. Four former GDR citizens struggle with their distinctively East German past and memories, and their impact on the present day via a not-so-accidental rekindling of problematic relationships. This article views Strubel's work through Aleida Assmann's theory on collective memory and Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's Minor Literature theory. Doing so allows one to engage directly with the East German experience as part of an all-German experience. When viewed through the lens of minor literature the political and collective nuances come to the forefront of Strubel's work and spurs a wider discussion on the past's impact on unified Germany and beyond.