Transgressive Holocaust Narratives: My Holocaust and J

Two 21^st century works that transgress the boundaries of Holocaust fiction are My Holocaust by Tova Reich and J by Howard Jacobson.

Writers and filmmakers have successfully translated black humor into a strategy for addressing the Holocaust. However, Reich’s novel treads new ground with its cynical parody of the Holocaust education and restitution establishment that has evolved over the last 70 years. With this work, she has unapologetically satirized the commercial and political stakes that Holocaust memorial and retroactive justice endeavors have inadvertently produced.

Similarly, J marks a new focus that introduces untested ground. Like My Holocaust, it is set in an era that, though fictional, is recognizably post-Holocaust. In creating this pseudo-historical epoch, Jacobson compels readers to confront a world where the resilience of anti-Semitism is apparent despite social and legal policies designed to ensure its eradication. Jacobson’s novel frames this situation in the form of a dystopian narrative that considers the mundane human qualities that appear to make it fester and endure.

My Holocaust and J both invite a sea-change in how literary narratives might contend with the currents of anti-Semitism and the multi-faceted communal engagements in Holocaust remembrance. My Holocaust is focused on, and unsentimental about, this field, which is mainly addressed with sensitivity, or at least, literary amnesty. J is distinct in that it examines the real and potential revival of anti-Semitism in a world where many have vowed to prevent its resurgence and, subsequently, demands inquiry into the socio-cultural complexion of the post-Holocaust era.