How a leaked critique turned Gittersee into Germany's fiercest literary feud
A Subtle Hint in the Photo Selection
The choice of photograph alone suggests a certain bias: two middle-aged men in suits—one with a full head of hair, the other with far less—smiling into the camera. This preview image on Deutschlandfunk (DLF)'s website accompanies a report on Charlotte Gneuß's 2023 debut novel, Gittersee, which sparked controversy from the moment it was published. To this day, the report notes, Gneuß has had to defend her book, a coming-of-age story set in East Germany.
The reason? A list compiled by writer Ingo Schulze—one of the two men in the photo—just before Gittersee's release. In it, he documented what he claimed were historical inaccuracies in Gneuß's novel. That list eventually made its way to the jury of the German Book Prize, which had longlisted Gittersee in 2023. Now, DLF has revealed that it was Schulze's friend, fellow writer Franz Witzel, who leaked the list to the jury—with Schulze's approval, contrary to his earlier statements.
Though Schulze and Gneuß both publish with the same house, he now admits to DLF that the publisher's claim—namely, that he had been formally tasked with reviewing the younger author's manuscript—was not entirely accurate. His role, he clarifies, was simply to "say what I thought of it."
Once the list went public, a heated debate erupted over who has the right to write about what—and whether the alleged errors were truly so egregious. Gneuß's reputation took a hit, though opinions varied: some argued that the controversy actually boosted Gittersee's sales. Yet the novel had already received strong reviews before the scandal broke.
Overstepping and Paternalistic?
Untangling cause and effect here may be impossible. High sales driven by controversy come at a personal cost. Whether Schulze's list was an "overbearing and paternalistic act," as DLF suggests, is up for debate. But so is the question of whether the cost-benefit analysis—or the fallout—of such disputes plays out the same way for male and female authors. The case of Stella, the highly successful novel by Takis Würger, hints at a different answer: probably not.
Then as now, the specter of jury influence looms large. Did the list's delivery to jury president Katharina Teutsch sway the shortlist selection? One point the DLF report glosses over, however, is that these decisions are neither divinely ordained nor objective. The "best" novel doesn't simply win; seven jurors with diverse tastes and agendas make the call.
In the end, the question remains: Why did Ingo Schulze compile the list—and why did he agree to its circulation? Was it a noble pursuit of truth and accuracy? Some of the 20 points were indeed corrected in later editions of Gittersee, while others turned out to be less erroneous than claimed. Contrary to Schulze's assertion, for instance, the term lecker ("delicious") was in fact used in the GDR to describe certain dairy desserts. And the notion that no one swam in the polluted Elbe in the 1970s? Gneuß's own parents remembered it differently.
Who Gets to Write What?
This is where identity politics and authorship collide once again in a real-world test: Is heritage inherited or experienced? Is it enough to have parents from East Germany, or must you have seen Pittiplatsch with your own eyes to imagine a GDR childhood—even if your birth year makes that biologically impossible?
What makes literary depictions of the GDR so fascinating (still) is this: Depending on your perspective, such works can veer toward autofiction or historical novel. Those who research diligently should be just as entitled to set stories in East Germany as those who once tasted a Leckermäulchen quark dessert themselves. Whether the reading experience suffers because a plastic bag is called Plastikbeutel instead of Plastebeutel—well, that's for each reader to decide.
Read also:
- Executive from significant German automobile corporation advocates for a truthful assessment of transition toward electric vehicles
- Crisis in a neighboring nation: immediate cheese withdrawal at Rewe & Co, resulting in two fatalities.
- United Kingdom Christians Voice Opposition to Assisted Dying Legislation
- Democrats are subtly dismantling the Affordable Care Act. Here's the breakdown
