The Tension between Fact and Fiction in Holocaust Literature

Abstract

For a long time, factual truth was a prerequisite for Holocaust literature. Thus, autobiographical texts were strongly preferred over fiction. From the 1980s onward, however, the boundaries between ‘fabricated’ and ‘true’ turn out to be blurred, though scandals still arise when something that was thought to be true turns out to be fabricated or non-autobiographical. For theologians who are looking for answers to the theodicy question in Holocaust literature, such as Elie Wiesel’s novella Night, the question of factuality is of less importance. What they must never lose sight of, however, is that ambiguity is an important property of literary texts, and that they do not do justice to such texts by ignoring that ambiguity. In general, theologians and philosophers searching for lessons for humanity should be wary of using the Holocaust and its literature for their own ends.