(Auto-)biografische Verwaltungsgeschichten

Life Writing von Bürokraten und Bürokratiegeschädigten

Abstract

This essay examines the complex relationship between bureaucracy and life writing. First, it provides a literary-historical overview of the forms, functions, and reception of autobiographical writings by civil servants. Examples include Samuel Pepys’ diaries, written in the 17th century, and the autobiographically inspired novel Absolument dé-bor-dée! ou le paradoxe du fonctionnaire (2010), published under the pseudonym Zoé Shepard. Secondly, I will analyse (auto-)biographical works that address how bureaucratic processes can determine life stories. I will in particular focus on how techniques of systematization and bureaucratic forms of documentation (forms, questionnaires, certificates) are imitated or integrated into the works. In this context, the representation of asylum and immigration procedures in the memoir Invasive Species (2019) by Egyptian-American poet Marwa Helal and the installation Zugzwang (2020) by German-Vietnamese artist Sung Tieu will be discussed. The significance of bureaucratic life writing as an everyday practice will also be reflected upon.