Paths to Others

This article explores two stories by Ingeborg Bachmann, ‘Simultan’ and ‘Drei Wege zum See’, both of which feature in the 1972 short‐story collection Simultan . Both stories deal with successful professional women, and both address communication and representation: Nadja in ‘Simultan’ is an interpreter; Elisabeth in ‘Drei Wege’ is a photojournalist. Both are cosmopolitan figures who are often on the move. Bachmann's depiction of these ‘nomadic’ female subjects is reminiscent of the work of Rosi Braidotti ( Nomadic Subjects , 1994). It also has ethical implications, again calling to mind Braidotti; in Transpositions (2006), Braidotti argues for the ethical potential of non‐unitary subjectivity. ‘Simultan’ addresses heterosexual models of communication, through the relationship between Nadja and Frankel. ‘Drei Wege’ also thematises heterosexuality, in addition probing questions of family, belonging and home. The stories thereby trouble unitary models of subjectivity, and normative ideals of family and gender, and put forward instructive Braidottian ‘transpositions

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