- Summary
- This dissertation, based on many years of researching the writings of the German writer Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss (1899-1987), presents her collected works for the first time in a comprehensive, critically annotated edition. The four books of poetry Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss published during her lifetime: Gesicht und Maske, 1929, Schlusselwunder, 1954, Mahnmal. Gedichte aus dem KZ, 1957, Ohnesarg, 1987, represent only a fraction of her literary works: Through extensive research, materials from her estate, archives, newspapers and radio stations in the United States and abroad, a vast number of texts was collected. They represent the works of Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss as completely as possible. Of Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss' poetry only one third was published. Her unpublished writings also include: twenty-six letters and cards to Rainer Maria Rilke, two radio plays, six autobiographical texts and thirty-three essays. These texts give evidence of the poet's extensive writing in non-poetic form. In addition, they reflect a variety of subjects and her friendships with well-known literary figures of this century such as: Nelly Sachs, Martin Buber, Leo Baeck, Margarete Susman und Hans Erich Nossack. The large volume of material was divided according to genres and put into chronological order resulting in four volumes of edited texts, published and unpublished. Two volumes of poetry are followed by two volumes of prose. A fifth volume presents an introduction to her life and work, followed by the editorial commentary which gives pertinent information concerning the texts. In the poetry commentary varying versions and variants are documented and compared to give an insight into the poet's writing process. The intent of this study was to collect and preserve Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss' writings and to make it accessible to further literary study. Her writings are a document of female writing and the testimony of a holocaust survivor, who in spite of all the sufferings inflicted upon her and her family by her native country Germany, remained a German writer with a deep love for the German language.
- Uniform Title
- Works. 1994
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Blumenthal-Weiss, Ilse, 1899-1987.
- Published
- [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1994
- Other Authors/Editors
- Pollack, Beatrix Marguerre.
- Notes
-
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland College Park, 1994.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 1730-1737).
Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Dissertation Services, 1995. 22 cm.
German with English abstract.
Dissertations and Theses