Professor emeritus explores political trauma in a new essay, poetry is published in Romanian translation

Heinz-Uwe Haus, professor emeritus in the Department of Theatre and Dance, continues to demonstrate the breadth of his intellectual and artistic engagement through two recent publications that together illuminate his sustained concern with memory, trauma and artistic responsibility.

In Lumina Lina (New York, Nr. 4, 2025), Haus published the essay “The victim never lets go of the crime – Nightmare Stories and their Endings,” an analysis of two books released almost simultaneously: Gabriele Eckart’s short story collection Oh You, and Udo Jeschke’s experience report The Nightmare of the GDR. Haus situates both works within the enduring legacy of life under the East German regime, emphasizing that both authors, raised in Stasi households, write from lived experience rather than historical distance. His essay confronts taboo questions about fear, anxiety, mistrust and psychological damage under Communist rule, describing symptoms ranging from depression and nightmares to aggression and somatic distress.

In parallel, Gracious Light (New York, Nr. 4, 2025) published seven poems by Haus from his collection Loreley, translated into Romanian by writer Clelia Ifrim. In her introduction, Ifrim highlights the literary significance of Haus’ poetic work, complementing his international reputation as a theatre director. Appearing under the pseudonym Jean Bodin, these poems and his visual art extend the same reflective urgency found in his critical prose, affirming art as a vital medium of memory and resistance.