60 years, 135 authors: what an era, what a variety! From a fresh new perspective and with an obvious passion for books and a pleasure in expressing his opinion, Weidermann surveys, describes and classifies the most recent era in German literature. Volker Weidermann, literary editor with the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung" starts where everything once came to an end. What happened after the war? Who was already here? Who was new on the scene? Who wanted to return? And what happened to them all? Exiles and »inner emigrants«, eminent figures and wild young things, influential men and militant women are all introduced – a panoramic view of German literature from the hour zero to the present day. And we gain an impression of how dynamically literature at that time developed and changed. In the West, Gruppe 47 formed and disbanded, in the East, Socialism was celebrated and defeated. West Germans heralded introspection and revolt while East Germans pursued the »Bitterfelder Weg«, or left the country.
The book is about forgotten masters and presumptuous confessors, great achievements and silent triumphs – and a whole host of individual fates. With passion, humour and extensive knowledge,
Volker Weidermann takes readers on a brief trip through the golden years of German literature, spanning a wider and narrower spectrum, outlining influences, dependencies and opposites and returning to the present day, to writers like Christian Kracht, Judith Hermann, Feridun Zaimoglu, Daniel Kehlmann, Ingo Schulze, and many, many more. Most importantly and over and over again, he shows each individual author resolutely going his own way. And all of a sudden, you want to read Gert Ledig or Hubert Fichte or Max Frisch again. This is a book full of surprises.
