Heimat bei Theodor Fontane und Joseph Roth

The article considers the importance of the notion of 'Heimat' in German literature from the early 19th century on, given the political fluidity of the German-speaking world. The centrality of the theme in works by the Prussian writer Theodor Fontane (1819-98) and the Austrian writer Joseph Roth (1894-1939) is highighted and their treatment of it compared with particular reference to their major novels of the decline of the old arisocratic order, "Der Stechlin" (Fontane) and "Der Radetzkymarsch" (Roth) and to selected travel writing that touches on Jewish and Slav homelands as integral constituents of German/Austrain culture and society. It is argued in conclusion that the perception of language as 'Heimat' (homeland/home) is shared by both writers, as is their plea for a common set of humane, inclusive values enshrined in any specific cultural identity.