Judith Hermann's New Book Confronts Family SS History and Memory

Judith Hermann's latest book, "Ich möchte zurückgehen in der Zeit," tackles the heavy subject of familial guilt, focusing on her maternal grandfather who was an SS member. Her mother scarcely recalls him. Prompted by an old photograph, Hermann travels to Radom in Poland, where the SS confined people to a ghetto, deported them, and carried out massacres. This personal guilt symbolizes that of the entire nation. Following her 2023 work "Wir hätten uns alles gesagt," which explored her childhood, this new publication aims at the painful spot in her family history. The narrative blurs lines between truth and fiction, as the protagonist fails to find answers. Shortly before departure, she contacts locals but chooses not to describe this encounter. In the book's second half, Hermann visits her sister and family in Italy, where she feels more comfortable and adeptly observes family dynamics to comment on silence and repression, mirroring her own earlier avoidance. The text leaves open whether it is about failure or is itself a failed endeavor. The book was considered for a list of best books in April 2026.