Zur literarischen Darstellung des Terrorismus in Sherko Fatahs Der letzte Ort und Ahmed Saadawis Frankenstein in Bagdad (Frankštin fī Baġdād)

In the 21st century, terrorism is a highly topical issue that concerns people all over the world. After the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Middle East experienced a wave of bloody terrorist attacks carried out by extremists everywhere, especially in the Arab world. In addition, the so-called "Arab spring" resulted in instability of the political, economic and social situation in some Arab countries, which led to the spread of terrorism in the region. As a result of terrorist attacks, many people have died in the Arab world. Terrorism is gradually becoming part of the everyday life of many Arab citizens, especially in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Since we are living in the age of globalization and the world has become, so to speak, a "small village", people all over the world could be affected by these terrorist acts. Based on this, the aim of this article is to shed bright light on the literary depiction of terrorism in a German-language and an Arabic novel. The novel "Der letzte Ort" (The Last Place) (2014) by the German-Kurdish writer Sherko Fatah and "Frankenstein in Baghdad" (Arab. "Frankštin fī BaġDād") (2013) by the Iraqi writer Ahmed Saadawi. By comparing the two novels, an attempt is made to show the depiction of the phenomenon of terrorism in contemporary German-language and Arabic literature. On the basis of excerpts from the text, the specific features of the phenomenon of terrorism in both novels are to be highlighted and then compared. The research focuses on the questions of what forms terrorism takes in both novels and how both authors deal with the phenomenon of terrorism.