“Gegenwartsbewältigung” (Dealing with the present) by Max Czollek was the first book I read this year and the first book written by a man that I’ve read since 2019. The book is an amazing nonfiction work on German culture, literature and politics since 1945 that does away with Leitkultur, Gedächtnistheater and angeblicher Entnazifizierung (my lousy attempt to translate these words: dominant culture, the spectacle of remembrance and alleged denazification).
At first I found it a bit difficult to get into his style which is very academic and complex but soon I began to adore the writing and his polemic attitude. I almost missed my metro stops because I was so invested in the book. There were parts where I was happy that I am studying literary and cultural studies as well as sociology because my student knowledge and interest in politics certainly helped me to contextualize and understand the contents of “Gegenwartsbewältigung”.
“Gegenwartsbewältigung” is a dense and intelligent take on German society, history and present. It addresses a variety of topics from the current pandemic to the persistence of Nazi language and ideas in German post-war society. He also discusses the hypocrisy of memorial culture, how the two German states shaped post-Third Reich racism and how the reunification of Germany failed migrantic and BIPOC Germans.
Czollek is not afraid to point out the ugly of Germany. His book pulls its reader out of their comfort zone and shows them where society’s faults are. It makes me angry not because he hurt some sense of patriotism but because I am furious and ashamed about the persistent racism and inequalities of the society in which I live.
This is a book that I wish would be used in schools because it exposes the inaccuracy of the narrative of an upward movement of the German society throughout the 20th century. “Gegenwartsbewältigung” points out Germany fails to create a fair society for all its citizens and not just some. I’d recommend this book to all who are interested in a critical approach of German society, culture and history and are not afraid of a rather complex and precise writing style.
Do you want to get to know more German Books? Look under the tag “German Books” on my blog or check out my guide on Instagram.