Jones Complicity, Censorship and Criticism

Negotiating Space in the GDR Literary Sphere
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-3-11-023796-2
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 10, 230 Seiten

Reihe: Interdisciplinary German Cultural Studies

This study develops an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the cultural history of the German Democratic Republic, examining the interaction between intellectuals and Party functionaries from a literary and historical perspective. Divided into three case studies, the work focuses on writers positioned along a spectrum of conformity and dissent and who had quite different relationships to political power: Hermann Kant, Stefan Heym and Elfriede Brüning.
Drawing on and comparing unpublished archive material, autobiography and the literary output of the three named writers, this study brings to the fore the ambiguities and contradictions of intellectual life in the GDR. Tensions between the different sources point towards tensions inherent in the subject positions of writers, publishers, reviewers and cultural authorities. This granular approach to the study of GDR cultural history challenges top-down interpretations and builds into a theoretical understanding of GDR cultural life based on the concepts of ambiguity and ambivalence and the increasing fragmentation of ideology. Comparison with other spheres of GDR life points towards the significance of these concepts for the study of East German society as a whole.

Zielgruppe

Academics, Institutes, Libraries

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jones, Sara

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Deutsche Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Deutsche Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Foreword;6
2;Contents;8
3;Introduction;12
3.1;Defining the GDR;12
3.2;The Intellectuals;19
3.3;Selection of Authors;30
3.4;Selection of Sources;33
4;Complicit Critic: Hermann Kant and the Writer as Functionary;43
4.1;Working with the Stasi: Kant as Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter;45
4.2;Censorship and Repression: The Publication of Das Impressum;61
4.3;Criticism from Within: Kant and the Writers’ Union;82
4.4;Literary Portrayals of Intellect and Power : Das Impressum;97
4.5;Conclusion;102
5;Hostile Partisan: Stefan Heym and the Search for Clarity;105
5.1;Working with the Party: Liberalisation through Negotiation;106
5.2;Censorship and Repression: 5 Tage im Juni, Biermann and Collin;127
5.3;Critical Voice: Alternative Public Forums, the Writer and the State in the Late GDR;142
5.4;Literary Portrayals of Intellect and Power : Collin;150
5.5;Conclusion;154
6;Uncertain Comrade: Elfriede Brüning, Loyalty, Criticism and Power;159
6.1;Working with Party Policy: Brüning and the Critical Writers;163
6.2;Post- Censorship or Controlled Debate? The Role of Literary Journals;168
6.3;Grumblings of Discontent: Behind- the- Scenes Criticism and Public Support;182
6.4;Literature and Antifascism;199
6.5;Conclusion;206
7;Conclusion: Ambiguity, Fragmentation and the End of the GDR;209
7.1;Ambiguity in Relationships with Power;209
7.2;Fragmentation and Disintegration;215
8;Bibliography;220
9;Index of Names;236

Über Autor(innen)

Sara Jones, University of Bristol, United Kingdom.