«The Last German»? Identity, Heimat, Tradition. Controversial issues in the work of Botho Strauß («Der letzte Deutsche», «Der Fortführer», «Sprengsel»)

Abstract

The essay analyzes the elaboration of the concepts of “identity”, “homeland” and “language” in Strauß. Although not systematically developed, it is possible to trace a file rouge referring to Romanticism and German conservatism. The analysis of the three titles indicated shows how the argumentation tends to move from the political/social level to the literary and aesthetic one, converging on typically Straußian issues such as “tradition” and “memory”.