SUMMARY: This thesis deals with the phenomenon of German migrant literature in the context of contemporary Austrian literature. The theoretical part is about general questions of the migrant literature in German-speaking countries - from the search of a suitable term to the dispute about its justification - and further there is a description of the specific situation in Austria. The second and the third part are dedicated to the presentation of two exponents of this sort of literature, the Pole Radek Knapp and the Bulgarian Dimitré Dinev. Based on the analysis of their two most important novels, Herrn Kukas Empfehlungen and Engelszungen, the presence of themes and motifs referring to their origin or migrant experience was confirmed. Nevertheless, as the comparison with their complete works shows, these themes and motifs are definitely not the exclusive ones.

This diploma thesis deals with the phenomenon of critical essay writing in the context of contemporary Austrian literature as exemplified by the author Robert Menasse. The introductory chapter presents Robert Menasse's life and work. The following chapter deals with Austria's interpretation of, and its struggle to come to terms with, its part in the complicated history of the last century as well as how this is reflected in post-war Austrian literature. The focus of the chapter is the issue of national identity - the development and re- definition of the proposition of Austria as the "first victim" of Nazi Germany - and its reflection in Austrian post-war literature. The key element of the thesis is an analysis of the essay collections, The country without qualities and Explain Austria to me. Through critical analysis of a wide range of topics in his essays - social partnership, the Austrian Independence Treaty, neutrality etc., Menasse presents a comprehensive picture of Austria with all its contradictions.

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