Im Schatten der Literaturgeschichte: Autoren, die keiner mehr kennt. Plädoyer gegen das Vergessen by Jattie Enklaar, Hans Ester

Abstract

MLR, 10I.4, 2oo6 II89 criticism, including Leslie Adelson's arguments against the exclusionary effects of critical rhetorics of hybridity and 'in-between-ness'. Adelson herself provides aGer man version of her article 'The Turkish Turn in German Literature and Memory Work' (Germanic Review, 77 (2002), 326-38). Jim Jordan highlights postmodernist features of Turkish and other migrant German writing (with a focus on $enocak and Akif Pirin9ci). Manfred Durzak gives a cool account of the satirist Sinasi Dikmen. Part III has a survey of Ukrainian-German migrant literature (Alexandra Krav chenko); a more substantial survey of Russian-German literature, with a lengthy appendix giving the contents of several remigrant journals (Hans-Christoph Graf von Nayhauss); brief papers on Johann Warkentin (Valentina Zaretchneva) and Vik tor Heinz (Lilla Egorova); and an account of Jewish culture in Breslau (Norbert Honsza). Mecklenburg's concluding report mentions, inter alia, the lack of cover age of Romanian-German literature, snipes atAdelson and McGowan for providing previously published work, and allows that his own keynote paper's 'provozierende Wertungen' were 'zurechtgeriickt' by the contributions of Bullivant, Pazarkaya, and Jordan. From this, and Canan Senoz Ayata's more formal report, we conclude that in Istanbul a good time was had by most. Durzak's 'Nachwort' describes the difficulties of preparing camera-ready copy, the problems posed by Turkish special characters ('$enocak' crops up in Bullivant's essay), and the impossibility of enforcing a com mon referencing system, or even-in one case-persuading an author to provide any references at all. Still, itwas all worth it. UNIVERSITYOFWALES SWANSEA TOM CHEESMAN Im Schatten der Literaturgeschichte: Autoren, die keiner mehr kennt. Pladoyer gegen das Vergessen. Ed. by JATTIE ENKLAAR and HANS ESTER. (Duitse Kroniek, 54) Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi. 2005. 358 pp. E70. ISBN 90-420-I9I5-8. If one chances upon the name of a forgotten author, four kinds of interest might impel one to study him or her further: a purely positivistic desire to find out more; a feeling that the works would be worth incorporating in the canon-itself a difficult concept-or at any rate bringing back to the attention of the reading public or literary scholars; awish to discover what made the author popular or influential at the time but has lost its potency; and respect for representatives of extinct cultures and ways of life. The editors of the present volume flirt with all of these, though primarily the third: why are surviving libraries showing the aspirations and tastes of blirgerliche Lesekultur (p. 8) of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries so dead to us? Not every contribution can be mentioned here. To my mind the more important factual essays are a study of Gutzkow concentrating on Die Ritter vom Geiste; a brief account of Karl Emil Franzos's life and ghetto stories; a survey of Leo Hirsch's work as a leading critic in the I920S and the ghettoized culture of the I930s; and a treatment of Gustav Landauer mainly as critic and political thinker. Pleas for greater recognition include a redefinition of Sacher-Masoch's celebrated -ism; a defence of Otto Roquette's novellas; and an attempt (inmy view, unsuccessful) to rescue Alfred Margul-Sperber from the accusation of over-comfortable, routine writing. Walde mar Bonsels is presented, all too briefly, as having more interest than filmings of Die Biene Maja might suggest. Friedo Lampe was never well known; a case ismade for close study of Am Rande der Nacht. Vicki Baum is considered, in line with previous recent attempts, as more sophisticated than her public image. Carl Hauptmann is viewed as the master of psychological analysis of marginal figures who are unable to communicate their concerns. Historico-socio-cultural analysis is applied to Ernst von Houwald's writings for children. Felix Dahn is examined for his rhetorical struc II90 Reviews tures and ideological foundations. Erinnerungskultur isprominent with Adam Muller Guttenbrunn's Lenau trilogy: Lenau as a symbolic figure (rather than as awriter) embodies the lost culture of the Banat Swabians. Of interest more in theDutch context are contributions on Friedrich Markus Huebner, Sophie van Leer, and Grete Weil. All the essays are at least competently written and show commitment...