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Representation
darum, berihre die gul3eiserne Klinke, die Tur offnet sich leicht" (222)." Here
the narrator seeks solitude and also security, a place inside and away from the
horrors of the outside.
Not all of the texts in this anthology are so negative. In "Marksicher Sand
im Getriebe" ("Sand from the Mark in the Gears"), Jens Sparschuh's narrator
experiences a feeling of homecoming ("Heimatgefiihl"), as he drives along the
autobahn toward Berlin (209). Ironically, Sparschuh's narrator also continues
to experience a sense of Teilung or division, though not in the usual sense of a
divided Berlin. Sparschuh describes the difference that exists between Berlin
and its surroundings, the Mark Brandenburg, where the urban is depicted as
superior to the rural. Brigitte Burmeister also rejoices in the feelings of
homecoming in "Ruckkehr nach Berlin im Sommer 92" ("The Return to Berlin
in the Summer of '92"), for the city is still there, although many had turned
their backs on it. As the train enters the city and stops at Bahnhof Zoo (Train
Station Zoo), there is great hustle and bustle as passengers exit the train. Yet
Burmeister narrates a distinct difference between arrival in the West and
arrival in the East. As the train travels eastward, much of the cityscape
disappears, leaving the impression of "Erdbeben, Krieg und marodierende
Banden" (257).12 The reader then expects something negative to happen, but
the narrator is actually happy to have returned: "Ich werde aufschlieBen,
eintreten und mir sagen, daB ich wieder zu Hause bin" (258)."
In an ironic look at destruction and the city, Alban Nikolai Herbst pokes
fun at demolition in "Ein Sprengmeister" ("An Explosives Expert").
Demolition, bombings and destruction form a great part of the fabric of
Berlin's twentieth-century history, for each successive political power has
sought either to put a new face on Berlin, or to help the city resurrect itself
after the bombings of World War II. For Herbst, present day demolition is a
progressive act: "Die Sprengung indessen ist [...] die Fortsetzung der
Bombardierung mit zivilen Mitteln" (261) and explosives experts are the
"Zahnarzt der Stadte" (259).'1 Herbst pokes fun at the way city planners use
architectural development to try to erase the past, "die VerPangenehit auf den
Mull der Geschichte zu werfen, wohin sie gehtrt" (261).' In this tongue-in-
cheek speech, Herbst pleads for the continued demolition of history-laden
buildings, in particular the Palast der Republik (Palace of the Republic), out of
"hygienischen Interesse der deutschen Geschichte" (265), for "Demokratie und
Geschichte schlieBen einander bedingungslos aus" (266).16 Indeed, in order to
establish democracy, one must abolish history. This prompts me to ask, is this
11 "I don't concern myself about it, touch the wrought iron handle, the door opens easily."
12 "earthquake, war, bands of looters."
13 "I will unlock the door, enter and say to myself, that I am home."
14 "Detonation is in the meantime [...] the continuation of bombardment using civilized
means"; "the cities' dentist."
15 "to throw the past onto the garbage dump of history where it belongs."
16 "hygienic interest in German history"; "democracy and history are mutually exclusive."
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