Spannungsfelder

Reviewed by: Spannungsfelder: Zur deutschsprachigen Literatur im Kalten Krieg (1945–1968) ed. by Günther Stocker and Michael Rohrwasser Pamela S. Saur Günther Stocker and Michael Rohrwasser, eds., Spannungsfelder: Zur deutschsprachigen Literatur im Kalten Krieg (1945–1968). Wuppertal: Arco Wissenschaft, 2014. 356 pp. There is a general consensus that historical developments and ideological movements interact with literature and writers’ lives in every era. However, many people would be surprised at how complex and far-reaching these interactions may be, as this collection of essays reveals. The volume is rather limited in scope, focusing on only one historical phenomenon (the Cold War), one domain of literature (that written in the German language), and a relatively brief span of time (namely the twenty-three years between 1945 and 1968). This specific focus unifies the book and allows the authors of its fourteen studies to explore various aspects of the topic in considerable depth and detail. Rather than emphasizing theories or general principles, the contributors offer lively and engaging discussions of specific texts, authors, and events. From them, however, the reader also gains insights into relationships between literature and history in twentieth-century Europe. In the introduction, editors Günther Stocker and Michael Rohrwasser preview the content to follow and discuss the term in the title, “Spannungs-felder” (fields of tension). Tension defines the entire Cold War, of course, as well as conflicts between East and West, here mainly the communist gdr and democratic capitalist frg. Studies in the book bring out related webs of tension [End Page 128] (not to mention danger, in some cases) in the lives and writings of authors, publishers, and other public figures. They also draw in pertinent material involving other countries, such as the United States, the Soviet Union, Austria, and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland. The first section, “Ost-West-Dialoge,” discusses three occasions, all in the early 1960s, for dialogue between writers and academics from the two Germanies. They include meetings known as the “Hamburger Streitgespräch” (Jens Thiel), writer Robert Neumann’s Marburg-East Berlin-Project (Peter Paul Schwarz), and an international conference organized by Wolfgang Kraus, head of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Literatur in Vienna (Ursula Ebel and Holger Englerth). Attempting to find common ground between the two groups, Neumann focused on questions involving the Nazi past and Kraus on literary issues. Kraus presented Austria as a neutral meeting place and tried to forge ties by personal invitations and contacts. However, all three projects were contentious and were only partially successful in establishing understanding. Beginning the second section, “Literaturbetrieb im Kalten Krieg,” David Oels traces the history of the Rowohlt Verlag from 1947 to 1969. From the immediate postwar years on, Ernst Rowohlt proved to be a shrewd businessman adept at maneuvering political pressures. After obtaining licenses and doing business in all four zones of occupation, he continued to maintain strong contacts with the gdr until his death in 1960. His son, also a businessman, was more oriented toward the West. In 1969 the company defied the gdr with a hail of balloons and rockets to celebrate the autobiography of a Soviet labor camp survivor. Insights into publishing in the gdr are provided by Christian Mogwitz’s article on writer Johannes Bobrowski’s work for the East Berlin Union Verlag. The publisher’s policies are examined, especially those aimed at integrating Christian ideals with Socialist Realism. In another essay, Sascha Penshorn explores the heavily political presentation of American literature in the East German periodical “Aufbau” from 1945 to 1953. Some of its articles expressed admiration for certain “progressive” American authors and leaders, but “Aufbau” became increasingly anti-American, charging the United States not only with fascist tendencies but even with secret collaboration with Nazi Germany. The “Grenzgänger. Einzelstudien” section offers studies of three well-known writers and one sub-genre. The writers are West German Ernst Jünger (Elisa Primavera-Lévy), an elitist who held himself above political conflicts, East German Volker Braun (Hannah Schepers), and the Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmat (Eugenio Spedicato), a distanced, pessimistic observer. [End Page 129] The final piece, by Emilia Fiandra, discusses a spate of dramas from the 1950s and 1960s that voiced

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