Heimatmuseum

The best of Lenz, a book that will endure across generations. The dramatic story of a local museum in Masuria becomes the focal point of significant political developments from the turn of the century to the post-war period: local history as world history. Amidst political appropriation and self-assertion, a friendship develops between the narrator Zygmunt and his counterpart Conny: one becomes a target of hatred for the right due to his resistance against nationalist localism; the other strives to maintain the independence of his museum – until ultimately war, displacement, and the establishment of a new life in the West reverse their roles, leaving Zygmunt with no choice but to destroy his museum.