Die „Nestbeschmutzer“ gegen den österreichischen Opfermythos: Die Wolfshaut von Hans Lebert und Auslöschung. Ein Zerfall von Thomas Bernhard im Vergleich

Abstract

The article aims to explore the phenomenon of the “Nestbeschmutzer” in the context of Austrian victim theory. The term was coined in post-war Austria to describe authors who, in defiance of politicians and society, called for a reckoning with the country’s Nazi past. Two literary works are representative of this theme, Hans Lebertʾs Die Wolfshaut (‘The Wolfskin’) and Thomas Bernhardʾs Auslöschung. Ein Zerfall (Extinction), were selected for analysis. Both authors challenge the myth of Austria as Hitlerʾs first victim and expose the post-war silence in their country regarding Austrian involvement in Nazism. They present their arguments in different ways, allowing for a comparison between the two literary approaches to dealing with the past. As both titles come from slightly different periods in the history of the victim myth, it is also possible to demonstrate the changes in Austrian literature over the years and to assess the contribution of the two novels to altering the perception of history in Austria.