The German literature in American exile – great writers and their wives: perspectives from Russian scholars

Abstract

The article focuses on the life and art of the famous Germane writers, namely Thomas Mann, Lion Feuchtwanger, and Franz Werfel. After the outbreak of WWII, when the Nazi forces invaded these lands, a lot of emigres managed to leave for the USA. For many of them, the escape route was extremely turbulent. The German writers in the USA settled closely together in California, forming a tight community. The famous Germane writers had to decide upon two principal questions: what they could do for the culture of their home country while staying in exile, and how to interact with the culture of the country where they live. In this connection, it is of great importance to analyze not their works, but the books of their wives. They took care of the house and children on a daily basis, as well as became secretaries, councilors, and closest associates of their great husbands. The authors also propose the main perspectives on a future research on this topic, focusing on the social and political phenomenon of “the community of German writers in American exile”, analyzing how the intellectual community was formed, discussing the documents of this age, studying the memories about their time in America in the context of the contemporary gender theory.