The event will be held in English. Simultaneous translation into German will be provided.

Like few other forms of expression, literature can expand how a society collectively imagines and understands its past. It is often literature that sets new accents and changes the way we talk about history. At the same time, literature also reflects the society in which it was created.

In her award-winning novel Purge, Finnish author Sofi Oksanen tells the life stories of two women in twentieth-century Estonia – between Soviet occupation, national identity and personal guilt. Drawing on her Estonian heritage, Oksanen weaves elements of her own family history into the novel. In vivid language, she interlaces individual traumas with collective memory and shows how history is inscribed on bodies and relationships. Oksanen’s novel is the point of departure for an evening that brings literature and research into dialogue with one another. Insights from an EU research project that investigates how historical and political attitudes are transmitted between generations in Estonia form a counterpoint to the literary text. Together, we will shed light on how memories are created – and who shapes them.