Understanding Johannes BobrowskiIn this critical introduction to the poetry and fiction of Johannes Bobrowski (1917-1965), David Scrase elucidates the literary subtleties of one of the most prominent writers to live and work in the German Democratic Republic. Despite the fact that Bobrowski won such prestigious accolades as the Heinrich Mann Prize and Charles Veillon Prize and held an important position in the literature of postwar Germany, very little English-language scholarship has been published about his work. Scrase fills this gap by exploring the heralded writer's novels, poems, and short stories. Contending that Bobrowski's writing can be understood only by those who appreciate the ethos that pervaded East Prussia during the writer's childhood, Scrase begins by reviewing the region's history and profiling the diverse ethnic and religious communities that Bobrowski encountered there. In looking at a representative sampling of Bobrowski's work, Scrase exposes the writer's attempts to come to terms with Germany's destructive role in eastern Europe. Scrase offers close readings of selected Bobrowski poems, most of which depict the landscape of Sarmatia, its rural traditions, and the daily tasks of its people. He also reviews Bobrowski's two novels, Levin's Mill and Lithuanian Pianos, and explains how to read Bobrowski's short stories. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 20
Page vii
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page ix
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 2
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 38
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 48
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Common terms and phrases
artist Aschmoneit attempt begins Berlin East Bernd Leistner Bobrowski's poems Boehlendorff Borussians browski celebrations chapter Christian Christoph Meckel clearly coexistence Confessing Church cultural death Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Dewischeit Donelaitis East German East Prussia Eberhard Haufe element Erzählungen Feller free rhythms Gedichte German guilt German presence Glinski Grandfather Grandfather's Gypsies Habedank Hamann happening historical Hölderlin humor Jews Johannes Bobrowski Joseph Conrad Klapat Klopstock Königsberg Lake Ilmen Levin's Mill Litauische Claviere literature Lithuanian lyrical Malige Malken Manthey Marbach am Neckar Mäusefest Memel Memelland nature Nazi Neumann novel party past Pastor Perkunas Peter Huchel pianos Pinnau poet poetry Poland Polish Potschka prose published reader Reich river role Saluga Sarmatia Sarmatische Zeit scene Schattenland Ströme seen sentence short stories singing song stanza Storost tansy Teutonic Knights theme Tilsit tion Tuta Understanding Union Verlag vision Voigt and Gawehn Warschoks Weiszmantel West Wetterzeichen Willkischken words writing written