Dichten ums Überleben auf Gratwanderung zwischen Ost und West. Die Rolle der Geschichte(n) in Jan Koneffkes Roman Die sieben Leben des Felix Kannmacher

Abstract

Abstract Looking back, my memories seem like distant, madeup stories. These words of the main character are to be found all over Jan Koneffkes novel. A foreigner on the run, Felix Kannmacher is forced to tell stories in order to survive. He is at the mercy of a teenager who is avid for constantly new and different bedtime stories. Felix gives in, as he has no other choice but to be a slaveto this child. The following article analyses the fine line between the stories Felix invents for Virginia and two narratological aspects: the actual plot of the novel on the one hand, and the actual course of history, on the other. The entire novel is built on stories-within-stories that twist and turn the course of Story and History alike. Because each one of us writes their own (hi)story.