A collection of essays considering the contemporary fascination with the past and various notions of history and historical progress as seen in literature and visual art. Huyssen’s analysis of cultural memory is heavily focused on post-WWII Germany and explores how nationalism, among other things, influences views of the past. See in particular the entries in Section 1: Escape from Amnesia, After the Wall: The Failure of German Intellectuals, and Memories of Utopia.