Orcs from the East. How the West Shapes the Image of the East. The German Scenario

What is the "East"? A geographical side of the world? A direction dependent on the observer's point of view? A colonial periphery? Who decides this and why does the term "East" often serve as a badge of shame in the mouths of the West? This book is a bold challenge. Its author, Professor of German Literature at Leipzig University Dirk Oschmann, has encroached upon the holy of holies – the right to interpret history and modernity solely from the perspective of the "victor." Using the example of East and West Germany, he shatters the benevolent picture of the world held by the western intellectual convinced that the East is good only when it resembles the West completely. In a vivid polemical manner, the author shows that this conflict touches the entire modern world, based on a global rift in society, cultural inequalities, long-standing grievances, and mutual claims that often manifest today in the most unsightly, radical forms. The book, which has sparked heated debates in Germany, will undoubtedly resonate with Russian readers.