Das Wiener Kaffeehaus in Drohobyc am Hudson. Demenz als Metapher einer liminalen Existenz in Irene Disches Der Doktor braucht ein Heim

Abstract

In »Der Doktor braucht ein Heim« (1990) by the German-American author Irene Dische, the novella’s ninetyyearold protagonist suf fers from Alzheimer’s disease. The Jewish firstperson narrator was born in Galicia, but now lives in New York following his f light from Nazi Austria via France. Suf fering from dementia, he recalls his life, which has been informed by border crossings and homelessness as a result of the Holocaust. As I show in this article, the protagonist’s absurd narration – where dif ferent phases of his life comingle and overlap – represents a metaphor for the rootlessness of a traumatized life on the run. Title: The Viennese Coffee House in Drohobyc on the Hudson River: Dementia as a Metaphor for Liminal Existence in Irene Dische’s Doctor Needs a Home