Ein jüdischer Deutscher auf Widerruf? Stefan Heyms Lebenszeugnisse in Cambridge und Chemnitz. Ein Bildervortrag mit Thomas Bürger

As the eyewitnesses of the 20th century pass away, their written legacies are becoming increasingly important. In 1993, Stefan Heym (1913–2011) unexpectedly bequeathed his manuscripts, correspondence, and video recordings to the University Library at Cambridge. Did he distrust his fellow Germans? Was he—the Jewish exile, the American soldier, the outspoken writer in the GDR, who died in Israel in 2001—a “Jewish German on probation”?

The written documents in Cambridge reflect seven decades of difficult German history. Many readers from both East and West turned to Stefan Heym for advice, especially after Wolf Biermann’s expatriation 50 years ago. In 2020, Inge Heym donated his working library—containing numerous book dedications from friends and contemporaries—to the Chemnitz City Library at TIETZ. In 1988, Stefan Heym annotated the autobiography of the Jewish literary scholar Hans Mayer, *Ein Deutscher auf Widerruf* (*A German on Probation*), with numerous underlines.

The illustrated lecture presents some of the impressive documents from Cambridge and Chemnitz and advocates for digital access.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Bürger served as Director General of the Saxon State Library—State and University Library Dresden until 2018. In 2023, he spent three months in Cambridge as a guest of Trinity College, including three weeks at the Stefan Heym Archive at the Cambridge University Library.

The event is a collaboration between the Chemnitz City Library, the International Stefan Heym Society, the Saxon State Agency for Political Education, and the Saxon Library Society.

The venue (Chemnitz City Library in the TIETZ) is accessible to people with mobility impairments. 

Registration for the event is possible and encouraged through the Chemnitz City Library:

www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de/aktuelles/eventdetails/ein-juedischer-deutscher-auf-widerruf