IGCS Colloquium: Stefan Willer

Whether in fantasies about origins or stories about conflicting family emotions, whether in the desire for enrichment or in the examination of traditions: the theme of inheritance is inexhaustible in literature. In his presentation, Stefan Willer examined how these topics are addressed in contemporary German literature. To this end, he outlined some of the current political and cultural challenges associated with inheritance and heritage. He then turned his attention to three recent books that explore this complex matter, bridging the genres of nonfiction, literary essay, and family memoir: Julia Friedrichs’ Wir Erben (2015), Lukas Bärfuss’ Vaters Kiste (2022), and Marlen Hobrack’s Erbgut (2024). As Willer showed, in all three texts, narrative, research, and argumentation are combined; factual and fictional layers are interwoven; and individual experiences and convictions are put up for debate. A central question that is consistently addressed by all three writers is whether it is ever possible to rid oneself of an unwanted inheritance—or even the institution of inheritance itself.