Impact: German-Language Culture and Its Reception

Impact: German-language Culture and its Reception. Liverpool: Rebecca Braun, Lyn Marven, University of Liverpool / WIGS, 23.07.2008-25.07.2008.

Reviewed by Karina Berger

Published on H-Soz-u-Kult (August, 2008)

The 3-day conference ‘Impact: German-lan‐ German-language culture in the UK (see below). guage Culture and its Reception’ was held at the An edited podcast of the discussion will be avail‐ University of Liverpool, organised by Lyn Marven able via the WIGS website shortly and Rebecca Braun. Coinciding with Liverpool’s (www.wigs.ac.uk). ‘European Capital of Culture’ 2008 as well as cele‐ In her opening keynote lecture, ANNE FUCHS brating the twentieth anniversary of Women in (Dublin) engaged with the question of why the German Studies, this conference addressed how city of Dresden became an iconic memory site for ‘impact’ may be conceptualised with reference to ‘German wartime sufering’, describing it as one German-language culture and its reception, both of the most signifcant ‘impact stories’ of the 20th at home and abroad. The broad scope for inter‐ century. Based on an analysis of the TV drama pretation, which the central theme ofered, was Dresden (2006), and the debate surrounding the refected in the diversity of approach, with papers rebuilding of the Frauenkirche, Fuchs argued that exploring impact in, on and of literature, flm, the recent Dresden discourse illuminates wider museum displays, music, experimental and tradi‐ cosmopolitan trends to recode the war experi‐ tional theatre, the visual arts, the media, transla‐ ence. tion and language. The conference raised issues In the frst panel on theorising cultural im‐ about the relation of culture and politics, particu‐ pact, KATRIN KOHL (Oxford) stressed the role of larly with regard to twentieth-century German language for a concept such as ‘impact’ by focus‐ history; how cultural impact afects literary and ing on the power of abstract forms, particularly artistic production; how such production may im‐ the metaphor. Based on the assumption that pact upon societal attitudes; and commercial im‐ metaphors can be seen as the most important cul‐ pact upon the arts. Several papers drew attention tural force, shaping the concept of culture and, to matters associated with reception, including thus, our identities, Kohl examined diferent con‐ the gap between the artist’s intention and recep‐ ceptualisations of national culture that deal with tion of their work; the reception of the artist him/ the metaphor “word is a weapon”. Her examina‐ herself; and the efects of censorship or political tion led to the conclusion that after 1945 German orientation. culture has been dissociated from political func‐ That the ‘impact’ of the theme extends to tions in the public sphere. ELIZABETH BOA (Not‐ felds beyond German Studies was evident during tingham) explored the impact of Kafka's artist sto‐ the lively and interdisciplinary round table at ries, demonstrating that these texts refect upon Tate Liverpool, which discussed the impact of the relationship between artist and audience, and H-Net Reviews between the work of art and the cultural institu‐ Red Army – was used to support the ofcial East tions that frame it. Boa argued that the focus of German interpretation of the war. DAVID BAR‐ these stories, in particular Bericht für eine NETT (Sussex) discussed the difculty of ‘translat‐ Akademie and Josefne, die Sängerin oder Das ing’ German theatre onto the English stage. Out‐ Volk der Mäuse, is in the slippage between intend‐ lining the efects of the subsidised German the‐ ed meaning and reception, and therefore repre‐ atre system, and identifying a fundamental con‐ sent the artist as a victim of misunderstanding, servatism within the institution of a commercial confned to the margins and yet celebrated by theatre in the UK, he argued that challenging dra‐ Kafka for precisely this outsider status. SARAH maturgies have little chance of appearing, or suc‐ COLVIN (Edinburgh) examined the seemingly con‐ ceeding, in Britain. tradictory concept of the 'zero impact' of prison In the keynote lecture that followed, HELEN writing after 1968. Using Peter Paul Zahl (APO- WATANABE-O’KELLY (Oxford) drew attention to member and later literary award holder) as an ex‐ the neglected fgure of the ‘woman warrior’. By ample, Colvin examined functions of prison writ‐ tracing the recurrence of the fgures of the Ama‐ ing that do not intend 'impact' in the standard zon, Judith and Germania, as well as literature’s sense. Colvin's analysis of Zahl's poem ‘ninguneo – heroic maidens of Brecht and Schiller, Watanabe- verniemandung’ showed that political prisoners O’Kelly argued that the image of ‘woman warrior’ saw their writing predominantly as a way to has in fact dominated the German imagination make their voice heard and keep their identities from at least the Renaissance to the present and alive. takes up a central and continuous place in the Three papers refected on the cultural impact country’s tradition. of the process of translation. Based on English and In the opening keynote to Thursday’s pro‐ German translations of Tadeusz Borowski’s Holo‐ ceedings, JÜRGEN LUH (Stiftung Preußische caust narratives, PETER DAVIES (Edinburgh) en‐ Schlösser und Gärten) outlined the SPSG’s plans quired into the role of translation in the construc‐ for the 300th birthday celebrations of Friedrich tion of the Holocaust between cultures. As the Great in 2012. The project aims tofnd innova‐ Borowski’s texts cut across several generic cate‐ tive ways to disseminate information on Prussian gories, Davies examined the way in which transla‐ history and 18th century culture, and to awaken a tors and editors have dealt with the ethical issues renewed interest in this period. Luh addressed surrounding categorisation, revealing that the dif‐ the issue of the German reception of Friedrich ferent translation strategies refect both the cul‐ which oscillates between truth and legend, and tural perceptions and paradigms of the culture of highlighted how Prussian history has become a the target language, as well as changing notions of specialist topic over time. authenticity in writing about the Holocaust. ANNE Panel A opened with CLAIRE ROGAN’s (Wes‐ BODEN (Trinity College Dublin) discussed Paul leyan) examination of the German artist Max Peikert’s Chronik über die Belagerung Breslaus Klinger’s impact as the frst German-speaking 1945, a diary describing the siege of Breslau and artist to depict lesbian desire in art which was dis‐ the mass expulsions in the fnal months of the played to the public, for instance in his last portfo‐ war. First published in Poland, and then in the lio, ‘Pavilion’ (1916). Rogan presented Klinger as GDR in the 1960s, Boden focused on the text’s re‐ having been misrepresented by the main body of ception in the GDR, revealing how the text – reception and argued that the negative reception which suggests that expulsion was a logical conse‐ of the work contributed to his failure to secure a quence of the Germans’ support for the German long-term legacy. This was followed by a paper on war machine and constituted a liberation by the

2 H-Net Reviews the impact of transborder theatre festivals on the into the Nazi flm of 1940, directed by Veit Harlan. German-Polish border by JANE WILKINSON Contrary to the current view that the flm was not (Leeds). Wilkinson focused on two cross-border based on Feuchtwanger’s novel, Schönfeld theatre events, Unithea and Viathea, as case stud‐ demonstrated that the flm functions as a negative ies to illuminate wider issues about the impact of image of the novel, perverting and reversing its such events on cross-border relations. Wilkinson intentions. demonstrated that audience reactions starkly con‐ In the session on the cultivation of culture, trast with the aims of the festivals, and with the the keynote lecture by GUNTHER NICKEL (Mainz/ efects claimed by the organisers, concluding that Deutscher Literaturfonds) illustrated the develop‐ while there is general support for such initiatives, ment of German literary sponsorship and in this their efectiveness in practice is questionable. context the specifc role of the (19th century) CHLOE PAVER (Exeter) explored how material bourgeoisie. Nickel outlined the possibilities of f‐ culture of the National Socialist period impacts nancial aid available to contemporary writers in upon museum displays of this period more gener‐ the German-speaking regions. Questioning the in‐ ally and highlighted the difculties in presenting tention of literary sponsorship, he challenged this the past in such displays. Paver argued that the kind of 'continous alimentation', where writers conception of Nazi Germany as entirely totalitari‐ stay dependent for long periods of time, and in‐ an is transmitted through such museum exhibi‐ stead recommended the sponsorship of reading, tions, primarily because the fringe elements of for instance at schools. the regime, such as resistance and dissent, cannot Panel A opened with a paper by REBECCA easily be displayed. Museum displays can only fo‐ BRAUN (Liverpool), outlining her latest research cus on those objects which are, so to speak, per‐ into the Gruppe 47 and examining post-war con‐ vaded by the symbols of Nazism, such as the structs of Heimat which can be read in(to) their swastika, and often display objects without their work. Through an examination of documentary original context. flms about the Gruppe 47, Braun suggested that A parallel session explored ‘transmission and the symbolic importance of the group appears to reception in popular culture’, presenting a com‐ be constructed in two ways: those outside seek to pelling investigation into the impact of political establish its place in post-war discourse by con‐ song and flm in new contexts. DAVID ROBB necting the ‘rootlessness’, which the group sees as (Belfast) examined the reception of songs of the self-defning, to the German landscape, while 1848 revolution in the folk revivals of post-1945 those within preserve the notions of a rootless re‐ West and East Germany. He showed that the sistant group which resists defnition, which adds broad spectrum of attitudes conveyed in these to the rhetoric of mythmaking. Thus, Braun’s con‐ songs - positive revolutionary content, retreat and ception of Heimat as related to Gruppe 47 shows resignation, the celebration of emigration - meant us that its primary characteristic is a separatist, they chimed with several strata of society in both coherent myth. Public conceptions of the fgure of the FRG and the GDR from the 1950s to 1980s. The the author were also addressed in KAREN LEED‐ particular lyrics and musical setting chosen re‐ ER’s (Oxford) paper on Ingeborg Bachmann, fected both the political situation in the respec‐ which discussed the reception of Bachmann tive countries and the political persuasion of the through two recent critical essays by Ulrike singer. CHRISTIANE SCHÖNFELD (Galway) was Draessner and Evelyn Schlag. She addressed also concerned with the new reception of an earli‐ Bachmann’s iconic status and the myth which has er text, the transformation of Lion Feucht‐ grown around her as an author, both during her wanger’s 1917 drama and 1925 novel ‘Jud Süss’

3 H-Net Reviews lifetime and after her death, which has fuelled rhetorical media research such as the self-image critical and scholarly fascination with her not of this medium and its infuence on the reader‐ only as an author but increasingly as a public fg‐ ship. ure. Leeder examined the 1954 Spiegel coverage The ‘Round Table’, held at the Tate Liverpool, of Bachmann, using this as a way to explore the concluded Thursday’s sessions with a discussion cultural impact of the author and, more specifcal‐ on how German-Language culture impacts upon ly, the female author. JENNY MCKAY (Leeds) ex‐ British culture in the 21st century. The panel, amined Ingo Schulze’s acceptance speech on win‐ chaired by Michael Schmidt, Professor of Poetry ning the Thüringer Literaturpreis in November (Glasgow) and editor of Carcanet Press, included 2007, in which he outs Germany’s commercial Christoph Grunenberg, director of Tate Liverpool; chiefs as the new feudal lords. She related this to Karen Leeder, fellow at New College, Oxford, and his collection of short stories, Handy: dreizehn translator; Walter Meierjohann, associate director Geschichten in alter Manier (2007), and outlined at the Young Vic Theatre, London; and Rebecca how this work both supported Schulze’s claims Morrison, editor of the journal New Books in Ger‐ about the increasingly feudal position of the Ger‐ man, which aims to introduce German-language man writer, and indicated that authors are in a publications to the English market. The lively dis‐ state of ‘dependent independence’ on the fnan‐ cussion centred on the reception of German cul‐ cial bounty of these modern barons. ture in Britain, including the visual arts, theatre, In the panel on the shaping of the public literature and translation. Questions about com‐ sphere, KATRIN HENZEL (Leipzig) concentrated mon perceptions of German culture abroad were on the impact of anthologies of quotations around addressed, as well as concerns about the dearth of 1800. Based on the thesis that literature changes young German-language playwrights at British its functions when quoted, Henzel used examples theatres. The difculties of translating German- to illustrate how anthologists infuenced the read‐ language literature for the English-language mar‐ ership. An analysis of paratexts, such as prefaces ket were also outlined. Finally, the discussion or subtitles, explained the intentions of these col‐ moved onto the ways in which German-language lections. Henzel also showed how anthologies of culture is disseminated in the UK and it was sug‐ quotations preserved parts of literary texts, turn‐ gested that it achieved a greater impact when less ing them into proverbs, while their writers’ iden‐ overtly ‘German’. tities were lost. MATTHEW PHILPOTTS (Manches‐ ANDREW WEBBER (Churchill College, Cam‐ ter) examined how the literary journal Sinn und bridge) opened the last day of the conference with Form, once an ofcial product of the GDR, protect‐ his keynote lecture on Berlin as the cultural capi‐ ed itself in the post-Wende period in order to sur‐ tal of the 20th century. Based on Walter Ben‐ vive on the market. Using Bourdieu's model of the jamin's Berliner Kindheit and his description of cultural feld, Philpotts analysed reviews of the Paris having been the cultural capital of the 19th early 1990s to illustrate the struggle for symbolic century, Webber examined places and monu‐ capital at a time of scepticism towards former ments in relation to the history of Berlin, Ger‐ GDR journals. ANA-MARIA PĂLIMARIU (Iasi) ex‐ many and the world during the last century. Web‐ amined the role of the German-speaking minority ber ofered a survey of diferent topoi of Berlin, in Czernowitz during 1918 and 1940 by analysing including boundaries and thresholds, concluding the Feuilleton of the Czernowitzer Morgenblatt, with an analysis of Berlin’s materiality. one of the most important media sources of the The three speakers on ‘culture and spectator‐ Bukovina and a platform for all minorities in Ro‐ ship’ examined diferent forms of witnessing. mania at that time. Pălimariu analysed aspects of

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LARA ELDER (Oxford) discussed the ambivalent reception in Germany from the late 1960s until position of Heine’s reports on revolutionary poli‐ his death in 2007. Outlining the author’s status as tics for the German Allgemeine Zeitung as an at‐ a persona non grata with the literary establish‐ tempt to conceal for the censor while simultane‐ ment in the highly politicised 1970s, Berger traced ously revealing for the reader. Elder demonstrat‐ the cultural and political changes which led to the ed that a theatrical idiom pervades Heine’s re‐ eventual volte-face in Kempowski’s reception, and ports, which implies that French revolutionary a new-found appreciation of the author. LAURA politics employed a dramatic mode, manipulating BRADLEY (Edinburgh) traced the impact of Wolf the visual in order to stage-manage its own recep‐ Biermann’s expatriation on the Deutsches Theater tion. BEN MORGAN (Oxford) proposed a new and its production of Michael Kohlhaas in 1976-7, reading of the frst colour feature flm made in adapted by the director Adolf Dresen, who had re‐ Germany after the war, Schwarzwaldmädel fused to withdraw his protest against Biermann’s (1950), as evidence against the received image of expatriation. Bradley analysed how the theatre 1950s Germany as amnesiac. Rather, he showed dealt with an unexpectedly controversial text un‐ that for contemporary viewers the flm helped to der the institutional pressures of state censorship construct a sense of emotional continuity with the and examined the divergent reception by local pre-war era, through the re-appearance of pre- SED ofcials, the Stasi and Western reviewers. war actors and of motifs from earlier versions of The breadth of papers suggested that ‘impact’ the Schwarzwaldmädel story, especially the popu‐ is a concept with signifcant resonance in German lar operetta of the 1910s and 1920s. DEBORAH Studies, and central to a wide variety of research HOLMES (Vienna) showed excerpts from Harald interests. The round table discussion of the im‐ Bergmann’s 2006 flm Brinkmanns Zorn and ex‐ pact of German-language culture in the UK includ‐ amined Bergmann’s discussion of the flm in a ed observations of cultural perceptions, compati‐ 2007 interview, in order to explore the generic im‐ bility and diferences in the arts, literature and plications of this experimental flm. Holmes high‐ theatre, themes of interest, for instance, to those lighted the ambiguous generic status of the flm, working in the felds of cultural studies, transla‐ which uses Brinkmann’s own audio recordings tion or comparative studies. with staged visuals, as a unique fusion of the doc‐ Conference overview: umentary and the bio-pic, while simultaneously assessing its position as ‘verflmte Literatur’. THEORIZING CULTURAL IMPACT KEYNOTE In the panel on ‘cultural icons’, the frst two Anne Fuchs (University College Dublin), ‘Dresden papers examined their ‘icons’’ lack of impact. Us‐ Discourses and the Impact of Cultural Memory’ ing Gramsci’s concept of the organic intellectual, JOANNE SAYNER (Birmingham) analysed the at‐ PANEL: Impact in language and literature tempts by Greta Kuckhof to use her public role to Katrin Kohl (Oxford), ‘The cultural impact of create a democratic anti-hegemony. Analysing a metaphor’ wide range of Kuckhof’s radio broadcasts, jour‐ Elizabeth Boa (Nottingham), ‘Kafka’s artist nal articles and speeches, Sayner illustrated Kuck‐ stories: artist, artwork, impresario and public’ hof’s consistent awareness of her own positional‐ Sarah Colvin (Edinburgh), ‘Zero impact: the ity and suggested why Kuckhof was unable to case of the unknown writer’ achieve the impact she wanted, looking at ques‐ tions of censorship and the remit of a ‘public PANEL: Translation and cultural impact sphere’ within the occupation zones. KARINA BERGER (Leeds) examined Walter Kempowski’s

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Peter Davies (Edinburgh), ‘The obligatory hor‐ Christiane Schönfeld (Galway), ‘“Niemand ist rors: Translating Tadeusz Borowski’s Holocaust an nichts unschuldig”: Lion Feuchtwanger, Jud narratives into German and English’ Süss, and the Nazi flm industry’ Anne Boden (Trinity College Dublin), ‘Trans‐ CULTIVATING CULTURE lated Memory? The Polish framing and GDR re‐ KEYNOTE ception of Paul Peikert’s Chronik über die Be‐ Gunther Nickel (Mainz / Deutscher Literatur‐ lagerung Breslaus 1945’ fonds), ‘"Die Kunst geht nach Brot": Anspruch, Lina Glede (East Anglia), ‘The efect of gender Wirklichkeit und Probleme der Literatur‐ on the translation and reception of Sarah Kirsch förderung in Deutschland’ and Ingeborg Bachmann’ PANEL A: Creating authors David Barnett (Sussex), ‘“I’ve been told [...] Rebecca Braun (Liverpool), ‘1967-2007: The that the play is far too German”: The interplay of Gruppe 47 as a literary “Heimat”’ institution and dramaturgy in the failed reception of German theatre in the UK’ Karen Leeder (Oxford), ‘Reading posterity, reading Bachmann’ KEYNOTE Jenny McKay (Leeds), ‘Cultural feudalism and Helen Watanabe-O’Kelly (Oxford), ‘The War‐ the East German author: the case of Ingo Schulze’ rior Woman on the Loose: The Wider Impact of German Tropes of the Warrior Woman after 1800’ PANEL B: Shaping the public sphere EXHIBITIONS, FESTIVALS AND POPULAR Katrin Henzel (Leipzig), ‘The impact of an‐ CULTURE thologies of quotations on literary reception in the late 18th century’ KEYNOTE Matthew Philpotts (Manchester), ‘Closing the Jürgen Luh (Stiftung Preußische Schlösser circle of belief: The Sinn und Form legend and the und Gärten), ‘Friedrich300 in 2012 - Coordinating post-Wende cultural feld’ the tercentennial of Frederic the Great's birthday’ Ana-Maria Palimariu (Jassy), ‘Vielfältige Kul‐ PANEL A: Public exhibitions and festivals turen in einer deutschsprachigen Literatur: das Clare I. Rogan (Wesleyan),‘ “Nicht gerade was Feuilleton des Czernowitzer Morgenblattes’ für die Volksbildereien”: Fantasies of lesbian de‐ ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION: The Impact of sire in Max Klinger’s Pavilion, 1916‘ German-Language Culture in the UK Jane Wilkinson (Leeds), ‘Discrepant narra‐ With select industry specialists tives: The (non)-impact of transborder theatre fes‐ THE POLITICS OF CULTURE tivals on audiences as the German-Polish border’ KEYNOTE Chloe Paver (Exeter), ‘The role of museum displays in mediating an understanding of the Na‐ Andrew Webber (Cambridge), ‘Berlin: Cultur‐ tional Socialist era’ al Capital of the Twentieth Century’ PANEL B: Transmission and reception in pop‐ PANEL A: Culture and spectatorship ular culture Lara Elder (Oxford), ‘A German in Paris: Hein‐ David Robb (Belfast), ‘The Songs of the 1848 rich Heine’s art of spectatorship on the revolu‐ Revolution: History of reception from the 19th to tionary street’ the 21st Century’ Ben Morgan (Oxford), ‘What is coming to terms with the past? German flm revisited’

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Deborah Holmes (Vienna), ‘Brinkmanns Zorn – Recreating the creative process in literary flm biography’ PANEL B: Cultural icons Joanne Sayner (Birmingham), ‘„Sie gehörte zu den Aktivisten der ersten Stunde“: Greta Kuck‐ hof’s political engagement in the immediate post- war period’ Karina Berger (Leeds), ‘„Ein groteskes Mißverständnis“: Walter Kempowski and the lit‐ erary establishment’ Laura Bradley (Edinburgh), ‘Nach dem Bier‐ mann-Debakel las jeder die Geschichte anders’: Michael Kohlhaas at the Deutsches Theater, 1976-7’

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Citation: Karina Berger. Review of Impact: German-language Culture and its Reception. H-Soz-u-Kult, H- Net Reviews. August, 2008.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=26645

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