Silence can be injurious – similar to words, yet different. This study uses the perspectives of literary and cultural studies to examine the violence of silence in the works of Thomas Bernhard, Kōbō Abe, Ingeborg Bachmann, and Kenzaburō Ōe. Close readings yield concrete illustrations of current theories regarding subtle forms of violence and interrogate silence in the context of gender, politics, economy, and cultural memory.
