Description
Book SynopsisCovers the major modernist literary works of Broch and constitutes the first comprehensive introduction in English to his political, cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical writings. Hermann Broch (1886-1951) is best known for his two major modernist works, The Sleepwalkers (3 vols., 1930-1932) and The Death of Virgil (1945), which frame a lifetime of ethical, cultural, political, and social thought. A textile manufacturer by trade, Broch entered the literary scene late in life with an experimental view of the novel that strove towards totality and vividly depicted Europe's cultural disintegration. As fascism took over and Broch, a Viennese Jew, was forced into exile, his view of literature as transformative was challenged, but his commitment to presenting an ethical view of the crises of his time was unwavering. An important mentor and interlocutor for contemporaries such as Arendt and Canetti as well as a continued inspiration for contemporary authors, Broch wrote to better understand and shape the political and cultural conditions for a postfascist world. This volume covers the major literary works and constitutes the first comprehensive introduction in English to Broch's political, cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical writings. Contributors: Graham Bartram, Brechtje Beuker, GiselaBrude-Firnau, Gwyneth Cliver, Jennifer Jenkins, Kathleen L. Komar, Paul Michael Lützeler, Gunther Martens, Sarah McGaughey, Judith Ryan, Judith Sidler, Galin Tihanov, Sebastian Wogenstein. Graham Bartram retired as Senior Lecturer in German Studies at the University of Lancaster, UK. Sarah McGaughey is Associate Professor of German at Dickinson College, USA. Galin Tihanov is the George Steiner Professor of Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London, UK.
Trade Review[A] fantastic volume that introduces Broch, his work, and his historical environment. This task is noble and its execution well done, and in this they have done a significant service to the field. Instructors should be encouraged to assign chapters from this collection - no given chapter is particularly long- to be read in tandem with the works they discuss. -- STUDIES IN 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY LITERATURE
Specialists and general readers will find themselves repeatedly turning to this book for overall context and specific elucidation, especially since the editors validate their hope for wide appeal by translating all passages in German. . . . . [P]rovides reliable knowledge expertly presented in essays uniformly lucid, winnowing the full range of scholarship and keeping the topic in focus, never straying into side issues. . . . [A] truly indispensable guide to Broch. Very highly recommended. -- Vincent Kling * GERMAN QUARTERLY *
Well suited to giving a broad readership an overview of Broch's work while providing certain historical accents...The volume succeeds overall in portraying in some detail the complexity of and also the inner tension in Broch's works, and at the same time demonstrating that his texts remain relevant for the present day. -- Martin Klebes * GERMANISTIK *
This valuable collection suggests reevaluation of the neglected Austrian writer Hermann Broch (1886-1951). . . . This exciting collection, with its suggestions of new scholarly possibilities, will certainly heighten interest in one of the major literary figures of the 20th century. Recommended. * CHOICE *
A Companion to the Works of Hermann Broch is an indispensable volume for all Broch readers, especially for new readers in the Anglophone world. Beyond its high level of scholarly contribution, the volume balances detailed readings of all Broch's major works (literary, dramatic, and political) with a longue durée view of Broch's intellectual development from his earlier years in Vienna to his transition to novelist to his exile in the United States. The editors have woven together individual readings with a universal assessment of Broch's wide-ranging intellectual commitments, and they have made a strong argument for the continued relevance of his novels, his aesthetic theory, and his humane politics. -Donald L. Wallace, Associate Professor, United States Naval Academy, author of Embracing Democracy: Hermann Broch, Politics, and Exile, 1918 to 1951 * . *
[T]his Companion addresses a palpable need, namely to provide a point of entry for a larger readership to one of the major literary figures of European modernism. . . . While not every Broch text mentioned in this Companion will be accessible to those who do not read German, many are, and the book as a whole makes a strong case for seeking them out. -- Martin Klebes * Austrian Studies *
[This Companion] is not only rigorous and thorough in its scholarship, but it is a pleasant book to read and spend time with. Its essayists strike a tone that is serious but companionable-which suggests strong leadership behind the scenes on the part of its editors. . . . [An] excellent collection. -- Steve Dowden * MONATSHEFTE *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Broch's Life and Works - Graham Bartram and Sarah McGaughey Perspectives on Broch's Die Schlafwandler: Narratives of History and the Self - Kathleen L. Komar Hermann Broch and the Dilemma of Literature in the Modern Age - Gunther Martens Interrogating Modernity: Hermann Broch's Postromanticism - Galin Tihanov Broch and the Theater: Die Entsühnung and Aus der Luft gegriffen as Tragic and Comic Dramatizations of the Economic Machine - Brechtje Beuker Limits of the Scientific: Broch's Die Unbekannte Größe - Gwyneth Cliver Broch's Die Verzauberung: Ludwig Klages and the Bourgeois Mitläufer - Gisela Brude-Firnau Hermann Broch's Massenwahnprojekt and Its Relevance for Our Times - Judith Ryan Human Rights and the Intellectual's Ethical Duty: Broch's Political Writings - Sebastian Wogenstein Broch's Der Tod des Vergil: Art and Power, Language and the Ineffable - Jennifer Jenkins From the "Tierkreis-Erzählungen" to Die Schuldlosen: The Creation of Broch's Last Novel - Judith Sidler Broch's Legacy and Resonance - Paul Michael Lützeler Selected Bibliography - Sarah McGaughey Notes on the Contributors Index
