A History of Austrian Literature 1918-2000 (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture, 91)

A History of Austrian Literature 1918-2000 (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture, 91)

by RitchieRobertson (Editor), KatrinKohl (Editor)

Synopsis

20th-century Austrian literature boasts many outstanding writers: Schnitzler, Musil, Rilke, Kraus, Celan, Canetti, Bernhard, Jelinek. These and others feature in broader accounts of German literature, but it is desirable to see how the Austrian literary scene -- and Austrian society itself -- shaped their writing. This volume thus surveys Austrian writers of drama, prose fiction, and lyric poetry; relates them to the distinctive history of modern Austria, a democratic republic that was overtaken by civil war and authoritarian rule, absorbed into Nazi Germany, and re-established as a neutral state; and examines their response to controversial events such as the collusion with Nazism, the Waldheim affair, and the rise of Haider and the extreme right. In addition to confronting controversy in the relations between literature, history, and politics, the volume examines popular culture in line with current trends. Contributors: Judith Beniston, Janet Stewart, Andrew Barker, Murray Hall, Anthony Bushell, Dagmar Lorenz, Juliane Vogel, Jonathan Long, Joseph McVeigh, Allyson Fiddler. Katrin Kohl is Lecturer in German and a Fellow of Jesus College, and Ritchie Robertson is Taylor Professor of German and a Fellow of The Queen's College, both at the University of Oxford.

$32.33

Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 366
Publisher: Camden House
Published: 18 Nov 2010

ISBN 10: 1571134786
ISBN 13: 9781571134783

Media Reviews
The Kohl-Robertson volume should definitely be on the must-purchase list of any university library. Beyond that, German Studies departments would be well advised to put the title on their graduate students' reading lists.... MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW This lucid, informative collection offers students and scholars of Austrian Studies an immensely useful and insightful resource. GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW This work represents a fresh perspective on inquiries into the nature and reception of Austrian literature of the last century. ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW Looking at genres and the complex cultural climate of the period after WWI, the contributors not only treat drama, prose fiction, popular culture, and poetry but also look specifically at such subjects as the paucity of publishers in Austria up to 1945, politics from 1927 to 1956, National Socialism and the Holocaust, and responses to multiculturalism at the turn of the 21st century. CHOICE [G]eneral pieces range over publishers and institutions; the politics of Austrian literature; Austrian poetry; the political, institutional and publishing context since the Second World War; responses to National Socialism and the Holocaust; and to multiculturalism at the start of the new century. The expert contributors are supported by a generous editorial policy, with a table of key dates and a deft introductory chapter. FORUM FOR MODERN LANGUAGE STUDIES [A] fine volume of Austrian literary and cultural history in the post-Habsburg era.... This text needs to be on the reading list of any seminar in Austrian literature in the Anglophone world.... It offers the rare pleasure of balance, clear prose, and a clear narrative line, as well as scholarly erudition. MONATSHEFTE
Author Bio
Katrin Kohl is a Lecturer in German and a Fellow of Jesus College at the University of Oxford. Ritchie Robertson is a Professor of German and a Fellow of St. John's College at the University of Oxford.