What Remains (novella)

Last updated

What Remains (German : Was bleibt) is a novella written by Christa Wolf. It was written in 1979 but was not published until 1990, after the Berlin Wall fell. It was translated into English in by Martin Chalmers for Granta in 1990, [1] and later released in a new translation as part of a collection of her stories in 1993. [2]

Summary

It is the story of a day in the life of a nameless East German woman whose apartment and occupational activity are openly watched by the Stasi. The story raises the subject of surveillance, particularly the feeling of paranoia, self-doubt, and the disturbances it causes in everyday life; symptoms of fear and nervousness, such as unrest, sleeplessness, weight-loss, and hair-loss. Her daily routine is shaped around this surveillance. She trusts no one and suspects everyone. No conversation can be held within her apartment without the telephone jack being pulled to prevent calls from having unwanted listeners. Telephone calls are a façade, where only code words and petty banter take place. She becomes obsessed with her observers. Who are they? Who sent them? Do they have normal lives? Are they normal people outside their jobs?

As a first-person narrative, the reader is transported into the author's inner monologue and introspection. By the end of the story she is very much influenced by the guests at her manuscript reading, young adults by whom the establishment feels threatened and remove by force. The main character realizes that the youth are watching and writing everything down. There is hope and one day she will be able to speak of this time and her experiences freely. And she realizes that perhaps "they" are right in distrusting her.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Metamorphosis</i> Novella by Franz Kafka (published 1915)

Metamorphosis is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect and subsequently struggles to adjust to this new condition. The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, with differing interpretations being offered. In popular culture and adaptations of the novella, the insect is commonly depicted as a cockroach.

<i>Rear Window</i> 1954 American mystery thriller film by Alfred Hitchcock

Rear Window is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder." Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film stars James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr. It was screened at the 1954 Venice Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christa Wolf</span> German novelist and essayist (1929–2011)

Christa Wolf was a German novelist and essayist. She is considered one of the most important writers to emerge from the former East Germany.

<i>Night Watch</i> (Lukyanenko novel) Novel by Sergei Lukjanenko

Night Watch is the first fantasy novel by the Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko to feature his fictional world of the Others. Lukyanenko wrote the story in 1998 and the book was first published in Russia by AST in 1998. The story revolves around a confrontation between two opposing supernatural groups : the Night Watch, an organization dedicated to policing the actions of the Dark Others—and the Day Watch, which polices the actions of the Light Others.

<i>The One I Love</i> (manga) Japanese manga

The One I Love is a romantic, slice-of-life shōjo manga by Clamp, an all-female, manga artist team consisting of Satsuki Igarashi, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Nanase Ohkawa. Appearing as a monthly serial in the Japanese manga magazine Monthly Young Rose from December 1993 to June 1995, the twelve stories were collected into a bound volume by Kadokawa Shoten and published in July 1995. The One I Love contains twelve independent manga stories, each focusing on an aspect of love and accompanied by an essay. Ohkawa wrote the essays while Nekoi illustrated the manga; it was the first time she primarily illustrated a manga by Clamp. Some of the stories draw on the life experiences of the women while others take inspiration from conversations they had with friends.

<i>Dark Water</i> (2002 film) 2002 Japanese film

Dark Water is a 2002 Japanese horror film directed by Hideo Nakata and written by Yoshihiro Nakamura and Kenichi Suzuki, based on the short story collection by Koji Suzuki. The film stars Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Tokui, Isao Yatsu and Shigemitsu Ogi. The plot follows a divorced mother who moves into a rundown apartment with her daughter, and experiences supernatural occurrences including a mysterious water leak from the floor above.

<i>La Bête humaine</i> Émile Zola novel (1889)

La Bête humaine is an 1890 novel by Émile Zola. The story has been adapted for the cinema on several occasions. The seventeenth book in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, it is based on the railway between Paris and Le Havre in the 19th century and is a tense, psychological thriller.

"Leela's Homeworld" is the second episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 56th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 17, 2002. "Leela's Homeworld" was written by Kristin Gore and directed by Mark Ervin. The episode reveals Leela's true origin as a mutant who was abandoned by her parents so she could have a better life. Her parents fabricated her prior background as an alien, as it is illegal for mutants to live on the surface.

<i>Birthday</i> (short story collection)

Birthday is a story collection by Japanese writer Koji Suzuki and first published on February 5, 1999 in Japan. It is the fourth installment of Suzuki's Ring series.

<i>The Lives of Others</i> 2006 German film by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

The Lives of Others is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berlin residents by agents of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. It stars Ulrich Mühe as Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler, Ulrich Tukur as his superior Anton Grubitz, Sebastian Koch as the playwright Georg Dreyman, and Martina Gedeck as Dreyman's lover, a prominent actress named Christa-Maria Sieland.

<i>Hear the Wind Sing</i> 1979 novel by Haruki Murakami

Hear the Wind Sing is the first novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. It first appeared in the June 1979 issue of Gunzo, and in book form the next month. The novel was adapted by Japanese director Kazuki Ōmori in a 1981 film distributed by Art Theatre Guild. An English translation by Alfred Birnbaum appeared in 1987.

"My Big Fat Greek Rush Week" is the second episode of the third season of the American mystery television series Veronica Mars, and the forty-sixth episode overall. Written by executive producer Diane Ruggiero and directed by John T. Kretchmer, the episode premiered on The CW on October 10, 2006.

<i>The History of Love</i> 2005 novel by Nicole Krauss

The History of Love: A Novel is the 2005 novel by the American writer Nicole Krauss.The book was a 2006 finalist for the Orange Prize for Fiction and won the 2008 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for fiction.

Ring is a series of horror novels written by Koji Suzuki. The novels were initially a trilogy, consisting of Ring, Spiral, and Loop. A short story collection called Birthday was released shortly after, introducing extra stories interconnecting the trilogy. Two further books, S and Tide, were published in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

"Simple Explanation" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of House. It first aired on April 6, 2009.

<i>The Elf on the Shelf</i> 2005 childrens picture book

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is a 2005 American picture book for children, written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell and illustrated by Coë Steinwart. The book tells a Christmas-themed story, written in rhyme, that explains how Santa Claus knows who is naughty and nice. It describes elves visiting children from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, after which they return to the North Pole until the next holiday season. The Elf on the Shelf comes in a keepsake box that features a hardbound picture book and a small scout elf. The story was inspired by a family tradition started by Carol Aebersold for her twin daughters, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts, in Georgia.

Girls is a film by an Egyptian Director, Amr Bayoumi, that was released in 2007 starring Farah Youssef, Somaia Al Joaini, Reem Hijab, Fareeda Al Juraidi. The film was written by Ola El Shafie and produced and distributed by Hani Guirguis Fawzi. The movie revolves around the life experiences of four girls in their early 20s as soon as they move to the city of Cairo alone with no parental guidance.

"Shalwar Kameez" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 39th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on October 12, 2014.

<i>The Frame</i> (film) 2014 American film

The Frame is a 2014 American science fiction film, written and directed by Jamin Winans and starring David Carranza and Tiffany Mualem. It was produced by Winans's own independent production company, Double Edge Films, with Kiowa K. Winans, and shot by cinematographer Robert Muratore in locations around Denver, Colorado. It is the follow-up to the 2009 science fiction fantasy film Ink, also written and directed by Jamin Winans. The Frame played at the 2015 Sitges Film Festival in Spain, the 2015 Imagine Film Festival in Amsterdam and the 2015 Fantaspoa Film Festival in Brazil.

Fear of Fear is a 1975 West German drama film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder starring Margit Carstensen. Fear of Fear is the fifth film by R. W. Fassbinder for the WDR in cooperation with editor Peter Märthesheimer.

References

  1. "What Remains". Granta. 3 June 1990. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. WHAT REMAINS | Kirkus Reviews.