Moving beyond Post-Traumatic Memory Narratives: Generation, Memory and Identity in Doron Rabinovici, Robert Menasse and Eva Menasse

Recent narratives by contemporary Jewish writers in Austria signify a fundamental shift in Austria's memory culture. In their works, descendent generations are responding to a generational shift initiated by the passing away of Holocaust witnesses. This generational transition has placed upon them a perceived sense of responsibility for the difficult task of translating communicative memory narratives into cultural practices of remembrance, representation and commemoration. This article explores how three Austrian writers of Jewish origin, Doron Rabinovici and the writer siblings Robert and Eva Menasse, approach the challenges that emerge from this shift of narrative authority. The article concludes that Jewish descendent generations perform an important archival task, as their narratives serve to preserve the testimony of the witness generation and safeguard their ancestors' memories. At the same time, these writers are paving the way for a new phase in Austria's memory culture by establishing distance from and aspiring to move beyond post-traumatic memory narratives.