Representations of the Third Reich Perpetrator in Australian Fiction

Perpetrators, Bystanders, and Victims: Representations of the Third Reich in Australian Fiction Kirril Robert Shields Bachelor of Arts (University of Queensland) Master of Arts (University of New South Wales) Master of Arts (Research) (University of Sydney) A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of English, Media Studies and Art History ii Abstract This thesis considers how, and in what ways, specificities of Australian history and culture have influenced literary representations of the Third Reich perpetrator, bystander and victim. I argue that the depiction of these three roles, in Australian fiction published from the mid-1940s through to the present day, shows some parallels with ―shifts and changes‖ identified by European scholars in views of the Third Reich, and in perspectives on literary representations of this triad in cultural production. I contend that Australian fiction enables, in varying degrees, a rearticulation of what may be considered traditional representations of the triad. Furthermore, I argue that these Australian literary representations also show some extensions of traditional portrayals in Australia and elsewhere, of the Third Reich perpetrator, bystander and victim, in literary and other genres of cultural production. My methodology draws upon some European discussion relating to the historicising and, in some instances, a move towards the normalising of the Third Reich through literary works, with a particular focus on debates surrounding the contextualisation of the categories of the Third Reich triad. I also refer to aspects of Australian history to argue that facets of the Australian past are influential in shaping narratives containing these triadic roles, at times enabling what could be regarded as less-considered representations of these typologies. Chapter one explores significant ―turning points‖ in German history in the aftermath of the Third Reich, relating this history to ethical, political and cultural influences that have shaped representations of the three characters in some European writing, both critical and analytical, and creative. Chapter two examines aspects of Australian history and culture to argue that this particular past has played a role in the formation of the triad in Australia‘s fiction; mentioning, for example, a colonial and post-colonising past in relation to the Indigenous population, and ethnocentrically-loaded immigration policies. Chapters three through to eight discuss and analyse Australian literary representations of the perpetrator, bystander and victim; these characters are transplanted to an Australian setting, and/or depicted in war-torn or post- World War Two Europe. These chapters are framed by an analysis of how far ―shifts and changes‖ in the conceptualisation and function of these characters, iii in any specific narrative, can illuminate various understandings of the triad in the context and environment of Australian society and culture. iv Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. v Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. vi Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. vii Acknowledgements I wish to thank Professor Carole Ferrier and Dr Margaret Henderson for their advice and their guidance. I thank very much Emma Hosking for her love and support and patience throughout this period. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Dr Irmtraud Petersson and Emeritus Professor Laurie Hergenhan for their conversations and input. My parents and sister also need thanking for their continuous support: Professor Linda Shields, Allan Shields, and Rosemary Shields. Keywords Australian literature, Third Reich, Third Reich literature, perpetrator, migrant literature, Australian culture, German history, Australian history, European history Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 200502 Australian Literature (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Literature), 90% ANZSRC code: 200209 Multicultural, Intercultural and Cross-cultural Studies, 10% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 2005, Literary Studies, 90% FoR code: 2002, Cultural Studies, 10% viii Table of Contents Introduction 10 Chapter One - The German Past 38 Chapter Two - Australian History and the Holocaust 54 Chapter Three - Reflecting on Cultural Attitudes 77 1. Patrick White - Riders in the Chariot 2. Les Murray - Fredy Neptune 3. Christos Tsiolkas - Dead Europe Chapter Four - Communism Versus Fascism 93 1. Jean Devanny - Roll Back the Night 2. Walter Kaufmann - Voices in the Storm 3. Dymphna Cusack - Heat Wave in Berlin Chapter Five - A Migrant‘s Dilemma 118 1. Josef Vondra - Paul Zwilling: A Novel 2. Manfred Jurgensen - A Difficult Love 3. Angelika Fremd – Heartland and The Glass Inferno Chapter Six - Discussing the Triad from Afar 146 1. Barbara Yates Rothwell - Klara 2. Lance Grimstone - When the Tulips Bled 3. Caroline Cooper - The Forgotten Holocaust: A Gypsy‟s Journey from Auschwitz to Freedom Chapter Seven - The Bystander and the Everyday 162 1. Stephanie Meder - Legacy of Love 2. Edward Kynaston - Ordinary Women 3. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief ix Table of Contents cont. Chapter Eight - A New Victim in Australia‘s Literature 194 1. Thomas Keneally - A Family Madness 2. James McQueen - White Light and The Heavy Knife 3. Helen Demidenko/Darville - The Hand That Signed the Paper 4. Jackie French – Hitler‟s Daughter Conclusion 222 Bibliography 232 10 INTRODUCTION And we must look, again, and again, and again. Why? Because what is done to us by words and photographic images was done to others in actuality, to people more innocent than ourselves because they did not know that such things could be done, by people who had not known they were capable of doing them. Inga Clendinnen, Reading the Holocaust In 2013, the German television miniseries Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter (Our Mothers, Our Fathers) caused controversy in Europe. The show focussed on the lives of five German friends between the years 1941 to 1945. One of these individuals was Jewish German, the others non-Jewish German, and all five were affected by the war to such a degree that, of those who survived, their lives and their families were in tatters, and their beloved Berlin destroyed. Told from the perspective of Germans at war, the show was considered by some critics to relativise German ―deeds and responsibilities‖ (qtd. in ―TV Tiff‖ n.p.). It was also thought Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter brought into question German culpability for the crimes committed, crimes which would ultimately manifest as the Holocaust (Robson n.p.).1 The show did not deny German responsibility for mass shootings or ideologically motivated killings, but it was thought by some to push responsibility aside by suggesting, for one thing, and to much ire from various Polish communities and institutions, that Poland was as anti-Semitic (if not more so) than Germany (Robson n.p.). The show also appeared to present a certain type of German responsible for the implementation of Third Reich ideology—uncompassionate and overt in political beliefs, and therefore, seemingly a minority. The ―common‖ German as depicted in the television series, while knowing, for example, of the Jewish situation, was removed from large-scale complicity, or only acted on orders or due to self-preservation (Denby n.p.). Furthermore, in one of the show‘s last scenes, a former high-ranking Gestapo member is shown working in a 1 The terms Holocaust and Shoah are used in the thesis for the Nazi genocide, since they are the dominant terms used in much of the critical commentary. I also note the Hebrew term Churban, a term used by Jewish academics. For greater insight into the complexity of each term and some arguments surrounding them, see Brennan 85-86. 11 bureaucratic position for the American army; the Americans are brought into question regarding their own role as the

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