What is it about?
The present research explores the narrative strategies that foreground the themes of Holocaust remembrance, resilience, and reconciliation in Alicia Appleman-Jurman’s Alicia. My Story (1988) and Anita Ekstein’s Always Remember Who You Are (2019), two first-person accounts of Holocaust survivors in World War II who grew up in western Ukraine (then southeastern Poland). Through a comparative literary analysis, the study highlights how each author constructs their narrative to convey the trauma of the Holocaust, the lingering resentment toward perpetrators, and the diverse ways toward reconciliation, which result solely from the complete remembrance of past trauma.
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Why is it important?
The article argues that while both self-narrations share common themes of memory and the creation of a Holocaust survivor’s identity, the authors employ different narrative techniques reflecting their personal experiences and perspectives. The analysis of the core themes reveals that Appleman-Jurman’s autobiographical narrative emphasizes resilience and survival, while Ekstein’s memoir foregrounds intergenerational memory and the ethical imperative of remembrance.
Perspectives
A comparative literary analysis of narrative strategies demonstrates notable differences in how the two authors approach memory and identity. While Ap-pleman-Jurman focuses on her individual experiences and actions as an active agent in her survival, Ekstein places greater emphasis on the collective nature of memory, highlighting the importance of intergenerational transmission. These differences reflect the diverse ways in which Holocaust survivors employ memory to make sense of their experiences and assert their Jewish identities.
Professor Yakiv Bystrov
Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Remembrance, Resilience, and Reconciliation in Alicia Appleman-Jurman’s and Anita Ekstein’s Memoirs: A Literary Analysis of Narrative Strategies, Roczniki Humanistyczne, December 2025, Towarzystwo Naukowe KUL,
DOI: 10.18290/rh257311.3.
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