Interview with Gunther Volk: ''By giving history a human dimension, literature brings the past to life''

[17 OCT 2002] A teacher of English at Hoptbühl Secondary School in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Gunther Volk has, for some years now, been including in his lessons the study of plays by English-speaking Jewish playwrights who tackle the theme of the Holocaust. ''My pupils feel sympathy and compassion with the characters faced with deep dilemmas or, on the contrary, anger: they are beset by doubt or stick firmly to their convictions. By giving history a human dimension, these literary texts bring the past to life'', said Gunther Volk.