Writing in Dark Times: German Literature

Catalog description

The rise of Hitler and the Nazis in 1933 radically disrupted the literary marketplace in Germany. Public book burnings were the most visible sign of a complete reorganization of the literary world. What was it like to be a writer in the Third Reich? How did censorship work? What kind of choices were writers forced to make? What political roles did writers adopt? Under what conditions could they publish? Who read their books and how did they read them? These are some of the questions we will ask as we become acquainted with German writers in ideological adherence or alliance, in exile throughout Europe and the Americas, in "inner emigration," even in concentration camps, and in hiding. By focusing on their writing, we will shed light on the value of literature in dark times.