The «Deutschlandbild» of A.R. Orage and the «New Age» Circle

This book examines the perception of Germany by English writers in the years leading up to and including the First World War. It centres on the role of A.R. Orage as editor of the New Age and the function of his periodical for the reception of German thought and culture in England. The study demonstrates that Orage was an important intermediary in the reception of German literature and ideas in England. It traces a marked connection between Orage and Germany: from giving lectures aimed at 'reducing Leeds to Nietzscheism' to encouraging writers to discuss German culture in the New Age. This included printing regular articles on German politics, examinations of the work of Nietzsche, as well as discussions of the avant-garde theatre in pre-war Germany. The interest in Germany is sustained throughout the First World War and continues into the 1920s with exploration of the work of Oswald Spengler, Hans Vaihinger and Hermann Graf Keyserling, then only just appearing in Germany. Although never a pacifist periodical, the author suggests that the New Age avoided some of the xenophobic excesses of contemporary publications in the war of words against Germany, and that Orage was instrumental in presenting to his English readership an understanding of Wilhelmine Germany.