Stefan George und sein Kreis. Ein Handbuch

Abstract

These three volumes contain what one might wish to know about Stefan George and his circle. It is doubtless an impressive and important achievement. The detailed scholarship displayed throughout these studies will be the starting point for any future research on this poet and his circle. However, it should not be forgotten that it is not an encyclopaedic knowledge which is presented here, but rather different discursive interpretations by individual scholars. These volumes will not—and fortunately do not intend to—speak the final word about George. Rather, the editors assert that the hope is to stimulate further research. This Handbuch is divided into four distinct parts. The first, which is presented in the first volume, is subdivided into five sections. The first of these sections presents a biographical sketch of George. It is a great advantage that these volumes seek to contextualize George’s life and work. Thus from the outset information is also provided regarding his circle. The second section is concerned with George’s oeuvre. Obviously, one should not lose sight of the most important and distinctive aspect of George—his poetry. This section discusses George’s literary works, including his translations of Dante, Shakespeare, Baudelaire and contemporary poets. The latter was first issued in 1905 in two volumes in an anthology entitled Zeitgenössische Dichter . These included translations of poems by Rosetti, Swinburne, Dowson, Jacobson, Kloos, Verwey, Verharen, Verlaine, Mallarmé, Rimbaud, de Régnier, D’Annunzio and Rolicz-Lieder. George’s intention was to present some of the works by the ‘most important spirits to whom one owed the resurrection of poetry in Europe’ (p. 270). The mission George perceived for himself and his circle was to work towards a revival of European culture, with poetry at its heart. It was a truly ambitious aim, and George succeeded to an impressive degree. A further endeavour towards achieving the aim of a European cultural revival was the foundation of the Blätter für die Kunst , a kind of elitist literary journal, which is the focus of Section 3. Section 4 is dedicated to George’s circle and the cultural impact of the group. Next to his poetry, George’s most distinctive achievement was in forming a circle of friends, collaborators, and an increasing number of younger followers, who subsequently played an important part themselves in academic and cultural life. The fifth section is something of an anticlimax, discussing the material side of all of these lofty endeavours: George’s relationships with publishers, the dissemination of his work and ideas, and even his financial situation. Collaboration with the publisher Georg Bondi was certainly the most notable and distinctive success, as it allowed George to present his work, including the Blätter für die Kunst , in a remarkable and charismatic way.