From ethno-social conflicts to extermination. Literary representations of the Holocaust in the context of World War II

Abstract

From the 1930s onwards, National Socialism and Nazism led Germany's destiny and, soon after, Europe’s. These ideologies are inspired by social Darwinism and eugenics, operating an unprecedented radicalisation of racism and antisemitism in social policies.

In the course of the Second World War, hostility and ethno-social conflicts towards Jews in Germany and especially in the Eastern European countries, where the percentage of Jews was more relevant, reach a terrifying dimension. From persecution to violence of all kinds, and from the creation of ghettos to deportation to extermination camps, what has rightly been termed the Holocaust occurs. Many authors have legated us written narratives from their experiences of the extermination camps. We will give voice to two of these authors.