Günter Eich
Encyclopedia
Günter Eich (ˈɡʏntɐ ˈaɪç; 1 February 1907 - 20 December 1972) was a German lyricist, dramatist, and author. He was born in Lebus
, on the Oder River, and educated in Leipzig
, Berlin
, and Paris
.
After being held as a prisoner of war, he was one of the founders in 1947 of Gruppe 47
, and for poems in his then unpublished Abgelegene Gehöfte, he was one of the first two recipients, in 1950, of its Literature Prize for young writers.
He published prose, poetry, and radio plays over the rest of his life. In 1953, he married the Austrian writer Ilse Aichinger
. They lived in Germany, but he died in Salzburg
.
His collected works were published in four volumes in 1991.
James Dickey
opened his 1965 poem "The Firebombing," about a nighttime air raid on the Japanese town of Beppu, with this epigraph from Eich's work:
roughly:
Eich is regarded as a literary conservative and his public association with a staunchly critical review of Johannes R. Becher
's poem "Der Große Plan" attests to this. According to Cuomo, "The most fitting overall characterisation of '[Die Kolonne]' would not be liberal or progressive, but conservative." "Die Kolonne" was strongly representative of Eich’s own aesthetic and ideological views, and although largely apolitical, it appeared to favour conservative ideology. Despite this apparent conservatism, the journal aimed to separate literature from any political influence.
' Propaganda Ministry was waging. It deals with a South African mine and its workers striking against the poor wages they receive from the overtly capitalist British owner, Lord Pembroke. There is some contention surrounding Eich's complete authorship of the play as there is no broadcast text in his handwriting. Furthermore, Scene '1a' seems to be a late addition to the play, and takes on a stronger anti-capitalist/British sentiment.
These statements, however, stand in stark contrast to his actions during the Third Reich. His radio plays were often tailored to fit the propagandistic needs of the Nazi party, extolling the Blut und Boden rural life and denouncing the decadent capitalism of the regime's enemies. It is believed that Eich had pragmatic reasons for writing all of his radio plays:
including one from the literary association of which he was a member, Gruppe 47 in 1950, the Georg-Büchner-Preis in 1959, and the Schiller-Gedächtnispreis in 1968.
Lebus
Lebus is a town in the southeast of the Märkisch-Oderland District in Brandenburg, Germany. It had a population of 3,375 as of 2005. It was the center of the historical region known as Lubusz Land.-Location:...
, on the Oder River, and educated in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
After being held as a prisoner of war, he was one of the founders in 1947 of Gruppe 47
Group 47
Gruppe 47 was an influential literary association in Germany after World War II. '47' Stands for the year of their creation, 1947.-Early history:The beginnings reach back to1946 when Alfred Andersch and Walter Kolbenhoff founded the literary...
, and for poems in his then unpublished Abgelegene Gehöfte, he was one of the first two recipients, in 1950, of its Literature Prize for young writers.
He published prose, poetry, and radio plays over the rest of his life. In 1953, he married the Austrian writer Ilse Aichinger
Ilse Aichinger
Ilse Aichinger is an Austrian writer noted for her accounts of her persecution by the Nazis because of her Jewish ancestry.- Life :...
. They lived in Germany, but he died in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
.
His collected works were published in four volumes in 1991.
James Dickey
James Dickey
James Lafayette Dickey was an American poet and novelist. He was appointed the eighteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1966.-Early years:...
opened his 1965 poem "The Firebombing," about a nighttime air raid on the Japanese town of Beppu, with this epigraph from Eich's work:
- Denke daran, dass nach den großen Zerstörungen
- Jedermann beweisen wird, dass er unschuldig war.
roughly:
- Think of this: that after the great destructions
- every man will attest that he was innocent.
Before the Third Reich
Eich was a contributor to Ana Victoria, a literary magazine. "Die Kolonne" is seen as a reaction against contemporary Modernist literary trends, and rests on three central principles: "the essential timelessness of the inner life, the notion of the genius as representative of his age, and the religious function of art." Eich believed in a fundamental incompatibility between poetry and politics and in his essay, "Bemerkungen über Lyrik", he drew a line between the poet "als Lyriker" and "als Privatmann" which allows poets to be politically active as long as it does not impinge on their work.Eich is regarded as a literary conservative and his public association with a staunchly critical review of Johannes R. Becher
Johannes R. Becher
Johannes Robert Becher was a German politician, novelist, and poet.-Early life:Johannes R. Becher was the son of Judge Heinrich Becher. In 1910 he tried to commit suicide with a friend; only Becher survived. From 1911 he studied medicine and philosophy in Munich and Jena...
's poem "Der Große Plan" attests to this. According to Cuomo, "The most fitting overall characterisation of '[Die Kolonne]' would not be liberal or progressive, but conservative." "Die Kolonne" was strongly representative of Eich’s own aesthetic and ideological views, and although largely apolitical, it appeared to favour conservative ideology. Despite this apparent conservatism, the journal aimed to separate literature from any political influence.
During the Third Reich
The majority of Eich's literary output in this period were radio plays, which numbered 160. The most well known of these today is Rebellion in der Goldstadt, which was only recently discovered. The play was broadcast on the 8th of May 1940 in an anti-British radio campaign the GoebbelsGoebbels
Goebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...
' Propaganda Ministry was waging. It deals with a South African mine and its workers striking against the poor wages they receive from the overtly capitalist British owner, Lord Pembroke. There is some contention surrounding Eich's complete authorship of the play as there is no broadcast text in his handwriting. Furthermore, Scene '1a' seems to be a late addition to the play, and takes on a stronger anti-capitalist/British sentiment.
Response to the Machtergreifung
After the war, Eich made many public statements about the role of artists in standing up against oppressive regimes: "If our work cannot be understood as criticism, as opposition and resistance, [...] then we are positive and decorate the slaughterhouse with geraniums." and "Seid unbequem, seid Sand, nicht das Öl im Getriebe der Welt!" which translates as "Be inconvenient, be sand, not oil in the gears of the world!"These statements, however, stand in stark contrast to his actions during the Third Reich. His radio plays were often tailored to fit the propagandistic needs of the Nazi party, extolling the Blut und Boden rural life and denouncing the decadent capitalism of the regime's enemies. It is believed that Eich had pragmatic reasons for writing all of his radio plays:
Eichs Rundfunktätigkeit beschränkte sich auf den Hörspielbereich und diente dem Broterwerb. [...] Wie viele Hörspiele, Märchenbearbeitungen, Kalenderblätter Eich auch schrieb, niemals hat er damit «Karriere« gemacht.
Eich's broadcasting activity was limited to radio plays and breadwinning. Like many of the radio plays, fairy tale adaptation and calendar pages that Eich also wrote he never tried to 'make a career' out of it.
Literary prizes
Eich received numerous literary prizes after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
including one from the literary association of which he was a member, Gruppe 47 in 1950, the Georg-Büchner-Preis in 1959, and the Schiller-Gedächtnispreis in 1968.
External links
- Valuable Nail: Selected Poems, trans. Stuart Friebert, David Walker, and David Young, ISBN 0-932-44008-8
- Oberlin College Press site for Günter Eich
- Axel Vieregg: 'The Spanner in the Works' (Review of G. Eich: Angina Days, Princeton 2010), The Berlin Review of Books, 30 March 2011