Siegfried Lenz’
Heimatmuseum, first published in 1978, is an historical novel, successfully released and well known in English as
The Heritage(1981), in a translation by Krishna Winston. The novel recounts the history of parts of the former East Prussia (more accurately: Masuria), part of Germany before World War II, which previously was and today is again part of Poland. The narrative is, as usual within Lenz’ novels, artfully arranged. The plot is split into different time levels. Present and past interact directly, and local history can be understood as a metaphor for the condition of a whole country in the first half of the twentieth century. In quick succession, horrible events are presented beside almost romantic episodes, and the adventures of the young protagonist Zygmunt as…
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Citation: Schweissinger, Marc J.. "Heimatmuseum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 September 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21239, accessed 23 November 2024.]
