New Masculinities in Contemporary German Literature: From Native to Transnat [Hardcover]

The complex nexus between masculinity and national identity has long troubled, but also fascinated the German cultural imagination. This has become apparent again since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the turn of the millennium when transnational developments have noticeably shaped Germanys self-perception as a nation. This book examines the social and political impact of transnationalism with reference to current discourses of masculinity in novels by five contemporary male German-language authors. Specifically, it analyses how conceptions of the masculine interact with those of nationality, ethnicity, and otherness in the selected texts and assesses the new masculinities that result from those interactions. Exploring how local discourses of masculinity become part of transnational contexts in contemporary writing, the book moves a consideration of masculinities from a native into a transnational sphere. 

1 Introduction: Contesting Masculinity in Contemporary German Literature.- 2 Men without Women: Clemens Meyer.- 3 Masculinity in Conflict: Maxim Biller.- 4 Masculinity and Religion: Navid Kermani.- 5 Masculinity across Borders: Feridun Zaimoglu.- 6 Men in Crisis: Ilija Trojanow.- 7 Conclusion: Towards New Masculinities in Contemporary German Literature.