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 suffering’, describing it as one German-language culture and its reception, both of the most significant ‘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 offered, was Dresden (2006), and the debate surrounding the reflected 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 affects 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 different 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 effects 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‐ fields 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 reflect 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 official 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 difficulty of ‘translat‐ Akademie and Josefine, die Sängerin oder Das ing’ German theatre onto the English stage. Out‐ Volk der Mäuse, is in the slippage between intend‐ lining the effects 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 confined 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 reflected 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 reflect 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/ effects 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 effectiveness in practice is questionable. context the specific 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 difficulties 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. films 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-defining, 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.