Reading in the Goethe Institute in Prague

My next stop was Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, where I gave a reading in Goethe-Institut Tschechien for five Czech school classes.

Special about this event was that two interpreters were present who translated it simultaneously from German to Czech for the students, and in the other direction for me. Everyone got a headset and could listen and speak in their native language. The only exception were the scenes from the book that I read; the students had prepared these passages in class beforehand and were therefore able to listen to them without translation.

In a discussion round, the students and I had the opportunity to talk to each other, and they asked me many questions. I realised, also from previous readings, that younger people always want to know more about war trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

I had prepared some questions for the teenagers as well. First, I wanted to know how many of them have gotten to known family members who experienced the Second World War. About half of them raised their hands. Then I asked how many have talked to them about it, which was about one third.

“How is the topic spoken about in your family?”, I asked. 

“The most memorable story told in my family”, said one student, “was about an incident where Germans came to our house, searched it and one of them suddenly collapsed. The family members were close to being shot. This was the moment when my family was close to extinction, if one of the soldiers had lost his nerves.” 

Another student mentioned her idea to do a podcast with her grandmother to preserve her memories for the future, and I encouraged her to do so.

Then I asked them one particular question – beforehand I had thought for a long time about whether I should ask it or not, since I know it is a sensitive topic in the Czech Republic. However, I was interested in what young people think about it, and the students seemed to be very open-minded. So I asked them: “What do you think about the expulsion of the Sudeten Germans after the war?” I knew their answers would be valuable information for my research.

“I can understand both sides”, one student said. “I don’t find it fair that they were expelled so brutally. On the other hand, I can also understand the Czechs. They felt unfairly treated when the Sudetenland came to Germany in 1938 with the approval of the Allies, they wanted the area back and it was a revenge for what they had experienced during the war.”

It is also my experience: When you consider the historical context and put yourself into the position of the people back then, their attitudes and behaviour can often become more explainable to us today, even though we do not necessarily approve them.

I enjoyed this reading in Prague which gave me new insights. During my stay in the Czech Republic, I had the impression that there is still much potential for reconciliation work. Therefore, I plan to return next year to conduct deeper research.