Reading the Sensory Trajectory of Unmoored Existence and the Poetic Encoding of Wounds in Zsuzsa Bánk’s Der Schwimmer (2002)

Zsuzsa Bánk’s Der Schwimmer (2002) is a meditation on the trials of flight and dislocation. Underpinned by complex memory dynamics, the narrative reconstructs the fate of several ‘unmoored’ figures whose physical or psychological experiences of liminality exacerbate their exile. Drawing on David Howes’s concepts of ‘emplacement’ and ‘displacement’, the primary objective of this essay is to examine the poetic encoding of sensory tropes underlying the core subjects of memory, trauma and migration in the novel. Firstly, rather than reading this novel primarily as a socio-political document, this article highlights the aesthetic qualities of Der Schwimmer while offering deep insights into the subject-specific experiences of belonging and displacement. Secondly, a focus on the literary interweaving of sensory phenomena illuminates a new and under-researched aspect of transnational writing. Ultimately, this article argues that a critical focus on the sensory can open up innovative ways of understanding the aesthetic organization of Der Schwimmer.