Literature of East Germany

The term GDR literature, all written works are summarized that have arisen since 1945 in the Soviet zone of occupation and later in the GDR.

4.1 The "socialist realism"
4.2 Reference Text: Christa Wolf: The Divided Heaven (1963 )

7.1 monographs
7.2 Papers
7.3 Magazines

General Information Era

The development of literature in the GDR began with the anti-fascist literature of many returned home literary emigrants. You and the development of culture in the GDR was influenced and controlled, so that one can speak of a centrally organized literary scene much by decrees and official statements of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany ( SED). This is also reflected in the fact that a clear order of all literature can be created. Goal of literature policy was to describe the changes in society in the context of the so-called " socialist realism " and even altering intervene.

The German federal research discussed whether the literature of the GDR should be recognized as independent or not. Especially in the 1950s, you went to the conservative side of literary studies in the Federal Republic of Germany by an unbroken unified German literature. At the beginning of the 1960s, one club imitated the Western side single literary features such as Peter Huchel, but ignoring inter alia Bertolt Brecht, Anna Seghers, and Arnold Zweig. Only in the course of the 1960s it took the existence of an independent GDR literature true with representatives such as John Bobrowski, Christa Wolf, Günter de Bruyn, Peter Hacks, Wolf Biermann or Heiner Müller. It is therefore useful to the East German delineate by the West German literature, because although the answer to the question of its own language of GDR literature must be denied, the GDR literature but one founded on GDR reality separate issue is legitimacy to the is due to the different world of experience not to be found in the West German literature.

Overall, the differences between the GDR and those realized in the Federal Republic of literature at the beginning of the division of Germany can be described as very large. Later they gradually decreased ( convergence movement ) until the late 1980's a difference between West German and East German literature was hardly recognizable.

The British historian and expert on Germany Timothy Garton Ash characterizes the GDR literature in 1981 by saying she had " never, neither individually nor collectively, their government is challenged in a similar way ... like their Polish, Hungarian or Czech counterparts. "

Data and historical background

July 1945 " Cultural Union for Democratic Renewal of Germany " ( integration of the artistic forces to support the new leadership power ) - journal "Structure " as the most important cultural- political body
September 8, 1947 command of " confiscation of Nazi and militarist literature " to " rapid eradication of Nazi ideas and militarism "
1949 Party Conference of the SED ( culture should build decided to Marxism -Leninism )
March 1951 " struggle against formalism in art and literature, for a progressive German culture"
1952 " German Writers' Union "
From 1953 " ndl " as the publication medium
April 1959/1964 " Bitterfeld Way "

The four phases of GDR literature

The 1950s: Building Literature

The structure of literature dealt thematically with the construction of large industrial facilities (especially chemical plants ). In the stories, the workers are the heroes and the hero of the specific narrative is a highly qualified and experienced (that is usually a bit older ) worker who helps with difficulty to build the plant, so is distinguished by a special performance at work. Most occur well as representatives of "old forces " on. The saboteurs are hindering the economic success of socialism, and are unmasked or flee to the West. By the construction of the industrial installation is successful and the last socialism " run its course " takes the structure of literature promotes an optimistic perspective. It is a didactic literature in the interests of building, which is to encourage people to get involved in the cause of socialism. A classic representative is here, for example, Eduard Claudius with his work " people on our side ." The construction of literature and wants to represent the achievements of socialism and the victory over fascism.

The 1960s: Arrival literature

1961-1965

After the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 prevailed in the following years until 1965, a special phase of liberal culture and youth policy. The SED leadership promised the youth in the youth communiqué 1963 more autonomy and a say. At the same time critical musicians and intellectuals were publicly active again. Among them was Wolf Biermann, who again gave public concerts after a long time. Similarly, the previously heavily fought over the years beat music was publicly admitted. In addition, in the economy, the " New Economic System of Planning and Management " was introduced ( NÖSPL ), which brought a greater decentralization and autonomy of enterprises with him to the 1950s.

Also in the literature there was a liberal phase, which was characterized by the " Bitterfeld Way ", which was initiated by the Bitterfeld Conference of 1959. This Bitterfeld Way and the fact that the East German border was completely closed and an arrangement in the proportions of the GDR was essential ( there was no way out ) formed the basis of the arrival literature, which particularly by Brigitte Reimann's " arrival in Everyday Life" 1961 was coined. Most typical example is " The Divided Sky " (1963) by Christa Wolf. In the literature, the main characters are now mostly younger, intellectual people who have to prove themselves both at work and in private, for example, with Christa Wolf " Divided Heaven ". In this work, nor standeth another tendency to days, which is that, increasingly, female main characters occur.

The 1970s: Liberalization

The replacement of the head of state Walter Ulbricht in 1971 by Erich Honecker was a significant break for the GDR literature. It is spoken in this context of the "Second Generation ". Honecker adopted a liberalization program for the entire art and literature. This meant initially that the GDR writers more freedom was granted as long as the base of socialism guaranteed and present in the works. Important in this context is the notion of " subjective authenticity ", which was strongly influenced by Christa Wolf (such as Christa Wolf, " The Quest for Christa T. ", 1968). In Christa Wolf's concept of " subjective authenticity " is not so much socialism in the foreground, but rather the problems of the individual in socialist society.

The liberalization program but ended in 1976 with the expulsion of Wolf Biermann and other expatriation and emigration of about 100 GDR writers, such as Sarah Kirsch, Günter Kunert and Reiner Kunze, who relocated to the Federal Republic.

The 1980s: underground literature

The literature here divided up. Some East German writers wrote on as before. On the other hand, however, there was also a subversive tendency, which can be described as " underground literature " or bohemian. In East Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, a scene of young writers began to emerge, which dispensed with the traditional method of publication by publishers. You published in small editions and gave many readings (some with music) in order to distribute their work can. They were based on post-structuralist tendencies of France and wanted to create a literature, " who does not understand the Stasi ." This GDR authors therefore made use of a deliberately irrational spelling to form an opposition to the SED and to protest against the state restrictions. These included, inter alia, Stefan Döring, Egmont Hesse Jan factor, Johannes Jansen, Uwe Kolbe, Andreas Koziol, Leonhard Lorek, Detlef Opitz, Frank - Wolf Matthies, Bert Papenfuss - Gorek, Cornelia mucilages, Michael Rome, Ulrich Zieger. The temporarily as alcohol rectores standing in the center of this scene Sascha Anderson and Rainer Schedlinski were exposed after the turn as unofficial employee of the Ministry for State Security, who had spied on their own colleagues extensively.

Terms

The "socialist realism"

The principles of socialist realism were essentially the same as those in 1934 at the first Congress of the Soviet Writers' Union prepared and submitted programmatically. It was underlined in particular that the primary function of literature lies in the ideological education of the masses and the political lesson. To achieve this goal, an art theory was established, which has led to a fairly rigid schematism. Therefore, the term "socialist realism" does not match the traditional realism - term. This is rather an ideological literary theory, which is based on the following primary principles: ideologically indeterminate idea content, Marxist- Leninist partisan, exemplarity, optimism, popularity, comprehensibility and positive hero. By Strict adherence to these principles is to ensure that the literature of their role and what is justified, not only reflect the structure of the great social change in terms of socialism - communism, but rather contribute through their effect on the reader to the realization that society. Such a literature dictates the GDR authors were limited in their creative freedom and often exploited as a propaganda tool. This principle of "socialist realism " was, with few exceptions, such as the poets of the " Saxon school of poetry " or " Poetry wave" called until the end of the GDR, the valid literary theory, although also just renowned authors distanced in the practice of it. Especially Stephan Hermlin, Volker Braun and other young writers of poetry 2nd generation of the GDR took advantage of the enthusiasm of the population for literature, for example in the series of events Poetry - Jazz - prose, to distinguish themselves from the social realism of the first poetry generation.

Reference Text: Christa Wolf: The Divided Heaven (1963 )

The novel The Divided Sky tells the story of Rita Seidel student who awakens in " the last days of August 1961", according to a physical and mental breakdown in the sanatorium. My friend Manfred Mr. Furth has not returned from a chemist conference in West Berlin. Rita is ten years younger than Manfred and comes from a working society and a more rural environment, Manfred, however, comes from the upper classes. As is improved by him technical spinning machine of economic bureaucrats refused, he flees alone into the Federal Republic. The narrative perspective here is not chronological, which was an untypical for the former GDR literature. Wolf used in her story many flashbacks, such as in the story of Manfred and Rita, that is, it uses the technique of analytical narration. The narrative frame forms the sanatorium, also be used in the many unsorted flashbacks. Thus, a so-called psychology of remembering is caused. In addition, Christa Wolf uses many changes of perspective, to move the reader to identify with the characters and to direct his sympathies. With the method of the analytic narrative that end between Rita and Manfred is retold.

Christa Wolf (1929-2011) was the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist loyal. She confessed to the GDR. Therefore, and because the text leaves no doubt as to the fundamental attitude to socialism, it is Christa Wolf at all possible to apply the previously banned because not as lifelike applicable procedures of assembly technology ( flashbacks ) and inner monologue.

Disposal and Rescue

In the context of the political upheavals in the GDR and in the newly formed East German states there were actions of "disposing ": literature was discarded from libraries, books were dumped in landfills, including freshly printed copies in orders of magnitude from printing houses, such as in Leipzig, spoiling stocks in 1991. such operations brought culturally sensitive people like the Protestant pastor Martin Weskott on the idea to collect these books and to pass in his community against a symbolic price to interested parties. Similar actions were also in the new federal states, where the actor Peter Then, the Rev. Peter Franz, the Youth Library " Maxim Gorky " in Gera or DDR Bücherstube in Weimar make such discarded and rescued GDR literature new to the public.

Important authors and selected works

Wolf Biermann, for example, " The Wire Harp ( 1965) ", " With Marx and tongues of angels " (1968)
Jurek Becker eg " Jakob the Liar " (1969)
Volker Braun, for example, " Hinze - Kunze- Roman " (1985)
Günter de Bruyn, for example, " A black abysmal Lake " (1963)
Franz Fühmann eg " Twenty-two days or Half of Life" (1973 )
Peter Hacks eg " The worries and the Power" (1960 )
Christoph Hein, for example, " The strange friend " ( also titled " Dragon's Blood " ) ( 1985)
Stefan Heym eg " Ahasuerus " (1981/1988)
Wolfgang Hilbig eg " Transmission " (1989)
Uwe Johnson eg " speculation about Jacob " (1959)
Hermann Kant: " The Hall " (1965), " The Stay" (1977 )
Sarah Kirsch eg " tailwind " (1976)
Günter Kunert, for example, "In the name of the hats " (1967)
Reiner Kunze eg " volume- room " (1972), " The Wonderful Years " (1976)
IRMTRAUD Morgner eg " Life and Adventures of Trobadora Beatriz " (1974)
Heiner Müller eg " Philoctetes " (1965)
Dieter Noll example "The Adventures of Werner Holt " (1960, 1963)
Ulrich Plenzdorf example " The New Sufferings of Young W. " (1973)
Brigitte Reimann eg " Franziska Left Hand " (1983)
Erwin Strittmatter such as " The Shop " (1983)
Christa Wolf, for example, " The Divided Sky " (1963), " The Quest for Christa T. " (1976), " Kassandra " (1983)

Anti-fascism Culture of East Germany Johannes Bobrowski Deutscher Schriftstellerverband Laborer Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft Role model Internal monologue Peter Sodann Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. Franziska Linkerhand Cassandra (novel)

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