FROM AUSCHWITZ TO AMERICANA - TEXTS OF THE HOLOCAUST

The Holocaust is now almost a half century past; soon its survivors wi ll be gone. Yet they, and others, have created a permanent archive - t exts which cross an ocean of time and pain to tell the story of Auschw itz. We examine three texts of the Holocaust - U.S. newspapers, surviv ors' memoirs and oral testimony. We compare unique voices within and b etween texts. Newspapers reported the Holocaust early and often, yet m inimized its importance. Memoirs, though all from survivors of Auschwi tz, varied widely in content as well as form, female voices often told different stories than their male counterparts, earlier works were di stinct from later ones. Like memoirs, videotaped testimonies ranged wi dely: some were literary, coherent and articulate; others were contrad ictory non-narratives - fragments of confusion and fear. We conclude w ith a reflexive note, pondering the dilemmas posed by a scholarly stud y of the Holocaust.