This article analyzes the characteristics of the representation of the migrant hero in contemporary German prose, using the example of B.K. Khani’s novel Hund, Wolf, Schakal (2022). In this context, the topos, or the hero’s “habitat”, play a pivotal role. These topographies, which frequently manifest as expansive cities, function as autonomous characters within the artistic composition. The work’s particular significance lies in its depiction of two megacities, Berlin and Tehran, as complex heterotypical spaces where trickster heroes operate. The employment of this rhetorical device is necessitated by a series of tasks confronting the author. In addressing a contemporary social issue, B.K. Khani utilizes traditional carnival symbolism, portraying the Berlin district of Neuk?lln as a hellish locale from which the protagonists must find an exit. The narrative of the two brothers in the novel is characterized by its blend of realism, drawing upon the tradition of world literature concerning the common man, and mythology, drawing upon Persian folklore. Despite the tragic pathos of the work, the author is no stranger to the “philosophy of hope”. The open ending and the motif of “the path to tomorrow” make it possible to talk about the novel Hund, Wolf, Schakal as an “urban epic”. In this case, the urban space acts as a catalyst for the awakening of the human spirit, transforming traumatic experiences into catharsis and giving the characters the strength for a new beginning.
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