HEIMAT AND MEMORY IN THE CITY: REPRESENTATIONS OF NEW YORK CITY AND VIENNA IN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WORKS OF EXILED VIENNESE AUTHORS A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German By Wendy Sue Wilson, B.A. Washington, DC June 15, 2009 Copyright 2009 by Wendy Sue Wilson All Rights Reserved ii HEIMAT AND MEMORY IN THE CITY: REPRESENTATIONS OF NEW YORK CITY AND VIENNA IN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WORKS OF EXILED VIENNESE AUTHORS Wendy Sue Wilson, B.A. Thesis Advisor: Friederike Eigler, Ph.D. ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates the notion of Heimat as it intersects with memory through representations of Vienna and New York City (NYC). I contend that characteristics of NYC allow exiles to (re)discover elements of their former Heimat, as they come to terms with their new lives in the United States. Moreover, I offer two new perspectives on the notion of Heimat. First, it is a fluid notion that can change under the influence of new circumstances and second, cityscape rather than landscape or nature plays a significant role in its development. To show this, I have examined Franzi Ascher‟s memoir – Bilderbuch aus der Fremde, Friedrich Heydenau‟s exile novel – Auf und ab, and Elisabeth Freundlich‟s autobiography – Die fahrenden Jahre. Ascher, Heydenau, and Freundlich spent the majority of their exile from the Third Reich in NYC and their works offer ample opportunity to examine representations of both cities. This dissertation assesses the influence and function of the notion of Heimat and memory in their representations and considers how do they shape or maintain identity. What effects does this rupture have on their function? Do they repair this rupture? Focusing on function, while analyzing the reciprocal influence of the central locality of their original Heimat – Vienna and their iii exile locality – New York City allows me to address these questions and present three simultaneously congruent and divergent notions of Heimat. Finally, I employ Heimat and collective memory theory, analyzing both individual and collective aspects of the formation of memories and the notion of Heimat. My theoretical approach begins with Maurice Halbwachs‟ seminal work On Collective Memory and Peter Blickle‟s work, Heimat: a Critical Theory of the German Idea of Homeland, Heimat. I agree with the predominant school of thought, which asserts that the social frameworks – such as family, religion, and social class – shape one‟s memories and demonstrate that these coincide with the social frameworks that shape one‟s notion of Heimat. I show however that while both may be formed in or defined by a “collective,” they remain distinctly personal, and I support this by highlighting the collective commonalities and the individual differences. iv Durch die Gnade Gottes and with the support and help of my colleagues, family, and friends. I wish to express my utmost gratitude to you all. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Exile and the United States ..................................................................................................5 The Development of Exile Studies ...................................................................................12 Exile: Heimat and Memory ...............................................................................................29 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................42 Chapter II: Franziska Ascher – A Changing Notion of Heimat ........................................46 Childhood and Youth in Vienna ........................................................................................47 Fleeing Hitler‟s Vienna ......................................................................................................50 Life after Vienna ...............................................................................................................52 Bilderbuch aus der Fremde: A Story from Abroad ...........................................................54 The Interaction of Heimat and Exile, and the Influence of Memory ................................79 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................86 Chapter III: Heydenau‟s Karl Kramer – Finding Heimat in Exile ....................................89 Friedrich Heydenau: An Officer and a Writer ..................................................................90 Fleeing Hitler‟s Vienna .....................................................................................................96 Life in NYC ......................................................................................................................99 Auf und ab: A Tale of Exile ............................................................................................100 vi The Interaction of Heimat and Exile, and the Influence of Memory ..............................129 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................134 Chapter IV: Elisabeth Freundlich – Heimat and Restoration .........................................137 From Childhood to Adulthood: Family and Political Activity .......................................139 Fleeing Hitler‟s Vienna ...................................................................................................142 Life in Exile ....................................................................................................................144 Die fahrenden Jahre: Memories of an Eventful Life ......................................................147 The Interaction of Heimat and Exile, and the Influence of Memory ..............................173 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................178 Conclusion: Exile and the Notion of Heimat ..................................................................181 Works Cited ....................................................................................................................188 vii Chapter 1: Introduction This dissertation investigates the intersection of Heimat (home/homeland) and memory in the representation of New York City (NYC) and Vienna by exiled Viennese writers. I propose that NYC, while foreign and new for the authors, nonetheless offered them elements of Heimat through the large community of German-speaking authors and intellectuals living in NYC and the city‟s own history and culture of immigration. The community offered exiles concrete associations with their former lives in Vienna, and NYC‟s culture and landscape allowed the many members of the exiled population to find elements of their former lives. I support this contention by examining the representation of both NYC/Exile and Vienna/Heimat in the autobiographical works of Franziska (Franzi) Ascher, Elisabeth Freundlich, und Friedrich Heydenau (née Oppenheimer). With the exception of Elisabeth Freundlich, these authors are relatively unknown, confirming that the abundance of exile materials – which I address below – still offers exile scholars the opportunity to investigate “new” authors, topics, and deepen previous research. By selecting these authors, it is not only my goal to contribute new research to the field of exile studies, but also to offer a cross-section of the notion of Heimat amongst Vienna‟s bourgeoisie. While all three authors were ethnically Jewish, the subsequent chapters show that they primarily identified themselves as Austrians. For Franzi Ascher, her identity was firmly linked to pre-Anschluß Austria. Elisabeth Freundlich‟s Austrian 1 identity was influenced by her political activity and Friedrich Heydenau‟s identity was colored by his military service in the Imperial and Royal Army. With this selection, I examine the works of three authors who were raised in affluent middleclass homes. As the daughter of the composer Leo Ascher, Ascher grew up in Vienna‟s musical milieu and initially pursued a career as an opera singer. Freundlich‟s father was a successful lawyer and well-known socialist in Vienna who was incarcerated briefly in 1934 after the Austro-Fascist government came into power. According to Freundlich, this arrest led directly to her political activity. Heydenau‟s military education translated into a successful military career, as he reached the rank of officer at a young age. The similarities the authors share offer a potential common link in their notion of Heimat, while their differences promise diversity in that same notion. The role of Heimat and host countries in exile literature has been investigated to varying degrees. For example, the well-known exile scholar Helmut Pfanner has written extensively on NYC‟s role as a host city. One volume he published in 1983 looked at Austrian and German authors living in exile in NYC and included a chapter on New York as a “borrowed home” for post-exile authors (Exile). He also edited a volume of presentations on cultural interactions following a symposium on German and Austrian exile literature in 1985 at the University of New Hampshire, which has interesting contributions to the topics of Heimat, identity, cross-cultural exchanges, etc (Kulturelle Welchselbeziehungen).