Alfred Andersch’s memoir
Die Kirschen der Freiheit. Ein Bericht(
The Cherries of Freedom: A Report)
recounts the author’s early life from childhood to his 1944 desertion from the German army during heavy fighting in Italy. The work is controversial, as numerous scholars and critics, including the famous German novelist W.G. Sebald, have accused Andersch of “fictionalizing” his biography by failing to mention important details, such as his marriage to Angelika Albert, who was half Jewish and therefore faced the threat of deportation or worse after Andersch divorced her in 1943. Andersch has also been accused of exaggerating the details, or perhaps even the very fact, of his incarceration at the Dachau concentration camp in 1933, in order retroactively to make himself appear more…
977 words
Citation: Horton, Aaron. "Die Kirschen der Freiheit". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 December 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35543, accessed 21 November 2024.]
