Over There: the Berlin Wall as Portrayed in German Comics

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brett Sterling, visiting assistant professor of German, will give a lecture on representations of the Wall and life in the German Democratic Republic in recent German-language comics. "Over There: The Berlin Wall in German Comics" will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in Kimpel Hall room 105.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall the lecture will look at representations of the Wall and life in the German Democratic Republic in recent German-language comics.

The Berlin Wall is an enduring symbol of the Cold War and of the 45 years of German division. Attempts to portray the Wall and the former GDR in comics largely follow one of two paths: the path of documentary or the path of memory. Sterling's talk will introduce several recent German comics and analyze the way in which each approaches its subject differently, ranging from exhortations to remember a dark past, to nostalgic childhood recollections of a country that no longer exists.