Worksheet: Juli Zeh, Die Stille ist ein Geräusch. Eine Fahrt durch Bosnien (2002)
The traveller’s motivation

pp. 9-11: What is the travelling self’s motivation for embarking on this
journey?

Why is it impossible to prepare for this trip?

How would you describe the tone of the narrative?

p. 15: “Weil ich überzeugt bin, dass es Bosnien nicht gibt …”
How would you interpret this?

p. 94: Describe the psychological effects of her experiences

To what extent is this an example of dark tourism?

Pp. 262-265: Discuss the motif of “Stille im eigenen Kopf”

p. 263: Does she achieve her aims?
Legacy of the military conflict

pp. 14: summarise the main outcome of the Dayton agreement

pp. 79-82: summarise Amelie Lauscher’s explanation of the Third Entity
dispute:

pp. 104-105: How did the new borders affect people’s lives?


How does the Kompaniechef view the legacy of the war?

pp. 128-129: What effect did the war have on Mustafa’s sense of identity?
Analyse the discourse on borders in the narrative:
p. 23, p. 25, p. 47, p. 80, p. 104-105, p. 184, p. 209
Dark tourism: Analyse the representation of key war sites and cities that were
affected by the war.
Mostar: pp. 43-46:
Sarajevo: pp. 58-61, p. 64, 67, pp. 86-87, p. 95, pp. 119-120:
Tuzla: pp. 219-223
Brčko: pp 224-228
Srebrenica: pp. 230-235