The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of Berlin

This book provides an informative overview of literary developments in Berlin since 1750, with more detailed readings of exemplary key texts.

Andrew J. Webber (Edited by)

9781107062009, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 March 2017

300 pages, 7 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.5 x 1.7 cm, 0.59 kg

This collection of essays by international specialists in the literature of Berlin provides a lively and stimulating account of writing in and about the city in the modern period. The first eight chapters chart key chronological developments from 1750 to the present day, while subsequent chapters focus on Berlin drama and poetry in the twentieth century and explore a set of key identity questions: ethnicity/migration, gender (writing by women), and sexuality (queer writing). Each chapter provides an informative overview along with closer readings of exemplary texts. The volume is designed to be accessible for readers seeking an introduction to the literature of Berlin, while also providing new perspectives for those already familiar with the topic. With a particular focus on the turbulent twentieth century, the account of Berlin's literary production is set against broader cultural and political developments in one of the most fascinating of global cities.

Introduction Andrew J. Webber
1. Literature and the Enlightenment Matt Erlin
2. Romantic sociability, aesthetics and politics Jürgen Barkhoff
3. Literary realism and naturalism John B. Lyon
4. Short prose around 1900 Anne Fuchs
5. Modernist writing and visual culture Carolin Duttlinger
6. Writing under National Socialism Reinhard Zachau
7. Writing in the Cold War Alison Lewis
8. Writing after the Wall Katharina Gerstenberger
9. Women writers and gender Lyn Marven
10. Queer writing Andreas Kraß and Benedikt Wolf
11. Berlin as a migratory setting Yasemin Yildiz
12. Modern drama and theatre David Barnett
13. Twentieth-century poetry Gerrit-Jan Berendse.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK], Literary studies: general [DSB], Literature: history & criticism [DS]