The Deprecation of the Non-German Other in Sabine Thiesler’s Novels: Representational Ethics and Popular Literature

ABSTRACT

Europe’s North-South divide transcends the fact of divergent economic performances in Northern and Southern European countries; it also steps into the realm of national identities, intra-European perceptions and, ultimately, accountability. A close examination of Sabine Thiesler’s multiple novels shows a persistent and fixated denigration of Southern European characters through the use of demeaning stereotypes and stigmatizations which disregard any moral guidance or representational ethics. Due to the fact that this stigmatization occurs in a literary context branded as trivial, scholars might also tend to trivialize its importance. Nevertheless, a scrutiny of the works of one of the most well-read authors of popular literature in the German language is not only relevant, but also necessary in a time when the North-South divide in Europe has become especially aggravated and when contempt toward the collective other appears to have become, once again, a political tool for nation-building.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Certainly, this anti-hate law was positively seen by governments that do limit freedom of expression on a regular basis. Russia and Venezuela are among the countries that quickly copy-pasted this law after it was passed. See Mchangama and Fiss.

2. All citations present in this article that were originally written in German, Italian and Spanish have been translated into English by the authors.

3. On the question of the aesthetic value of entertainment literature, its ability to surprise the reader, and its possible innovations see, among many others, Nusser and Parra-Membrives.

4. Paul applies this idea to the so-called memory texts, which reflect historically uncontested memories, but the quote is valid also to indicate non-general social ideas.

5. In Spain we can find annual congresses like Congreso negro, organized since 2005 by professors Àlex Martín Escribà and Javier Sánchez Zapatero at the University of Salamanca (Congreso de Novela y Cine Negro) or Tenerife Noir, organized by Professor Javier Rivero (Emagister) among others. Bookstores usually have a specific section on crime fiction, something which was inconceivable only a few years ago.

6. In this regard, multiple press articles have been dealing with the denouncing the declared xenophobia of personalities of a certain social weight. See, for example, Shelton and Salvador.

7. The bibliography around this topic is vast; the following works are enough as outstanding examples: Frizzoni, Wilke, and Kemmerzell.

8. These are Das Lebkuchenherz (1983) and Da war ihr Zimmer noch lila (1982), self-published works by the author that went completely unnoticed at the time and that only after the success of Der Kindersammler have awakened curiosity.

9. To Italian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Turkish, Polish, Slovak, Russian, and Chinese, according to Goodreads: See (Editions of Der Kindersammler by Sabine Thiesler).

10. In buchreport.de the following novels are mentioned: Versunken; Zeckenbiss; Nachts in meinem Haus; Der Keller, Die Totengräberin; Hexenkind; Und draußen stirbt ein Vogel; Der Menschenräuber; Nachtprinzessin; Bewusstlos; and, of course, Der Kindersammler: See (Suchergebnisse für «thiesler»).

11. See different opinions on Der Kindersammler von Sabine Thiesler on LovelyBooks (Krimi und Thriller).

12. This is the way it appears on (Commissario Donato Neri Bücher in der richtigen Reihenfolge); (Commissario Donato Neri Book Series); https://www.goodreads.com/series/242661-commissario-donato-neri; (Romane von Sabine Thiesler in der richtigen Reihenfolge); (Commissario Donato Neri Book Series: Amazon.com). Lovelybooks sets the beginning of the series in Hexenkind: (Buchreihe “Commissario Donato Neri” von Sabine Thiesler in folgender Reihenfolge).

13. To name a few: Nele Neuhaus’ Kirchhoff and Bodenstein, Andreas Gruber’s Maarten S. Sneijder and Sabine Nemez or Alexander Hartung’s Nik Pohl.

14. See the reader’s opinion on amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ASabine+Thiesler

15. The characters who take the brunt of the plot are, in fact, multiple women who try to defend their kids’ lives.

16. “Great book and guide” (Gabriel).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Alemany

Eva Parra-Membrives was a Professor of German Literature and Translation and taught at the University of Seville from 1992 to 2022. Her main area of research included Medieval German Literature: with numerous publications on Roswitha von Gandersheim, Walter von der Vogelweide, Frau Ava and Hildegard von Bingen, among others. Since 2008, Eva’s main academic focus shifted toward the female crime novel.

David Alemany is a two-time winner of the National Award for Excellence in Academic Performance in Spain. He holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of Bologna (Italy) and is currently a Professor at the Department of German Studies of the University of Seville (Spain). Although Alemany’s main research field is that of Jewish Studies, Alemany’s further interests include modern philosophy, psychoanalysis, and religious studies. His scholarship is also informed by his undergraduate studies at the University of Cologne (Germany) and his graduate studies at Cornell University (New York).

Eva Parra-Membrives

Eva Parra-Membrives was a Professor of German Literature and Translation and taught at the University of Seville from 1992 to 2022. Her main area of research included Medieval German Literature: with numerous publications on Roswitha von Gandersheim, Walter von der Vogelweide, Frau Ava and Hildegard von Bingen, among others. Since 2008, Eva’s main academic focus shifted toward the female crime novel.

David Alemany is a two-time winner of the National Award for Excellence in Academic Performance in Spain. He holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of Bologna (Italy) and is currently a Professor at the Department of German Studies of the University of Seville (Spain). Although Alemany’s main research field is that of Jewish Studies, Alemany’s further interests include modern philosophy, psychoanalysis, and religious studies. His scholarship is also informed by his undergraduate studies at the University of Cologne (Germany) and his graduate studies at Cornell University (New York).