
The Critical Reception of Alfred Doeblin's Major Novels
Wulf Koepke(Author)
Camden House Inc (Publisher)
Published on 1. July 2003
Book
Hardback
262 pages
978-1-57113-209-3 (ISBN)
Description
The first thorough study in English of the reception of Doeblin's novels, written by one of the foremost Doeblin scholars.
Alfred Doeblin (1878-1957) is one of the major German writers of the twentieth century. His experimental, ever-changing, avant-garde style kept both readers and critics off guard, and although he won the acclaim of critics and hada clear impact on German writers after the Second World War (Guenter Grass called him "my teacher"), he is still largely unknown to the reading public, and under-researched by literary scholars. He was a prolific writer, with thirteen novels alongside a great many other shorter fiction works and non-fiction writings to his credit, and yet, paradoxically, he is known to a larger public as the author of only one book, the 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz, which sold more copies in the first weeks of publication than all his previous novels combined. Alexanderplatz is known for its depiction of the criminal underground of Berlin and a montage and stream-of-consciousness technique comparable to James Joyce's Ulysses; it became one of the best-known big-city novels of the century and has remained Doeblin's one enduring popular success. Doeblin was forced into exile in 1933, and the works he wrote in exile were neglected by critics for decades. Now epic works like Amazonas, November 1918, and Hamlet, Oder die lange Nacht nimmt ein Ende are finding a fairer critical evaluation. Wulf Koepke tackles the paradox of Doeblin the leading but neglected avant-gardist by analysis of contemporary and later criticism, both journalistic and academic, always taking into account the historical context in which it appeared.
Wulf Koepke is Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M University.
Alfred Doeblin (1878-1957) is one of the major German writers of the twentieth century. His experimental, ever-changing, avant-garde style kept both readers and critics off guard, and although he won the acclaim of critics and hada clear impact on German writers after the Second World War (Guenter Grass called him "my teacher"), he is still largely unknown to the reading public, and under-researched by literary scholars. He was a prolific writer, with thirteen novels alongside a great many other shorter fiction works and non-fiction writings to his credit, and yet, paradoxically, he is known to a larger public as the author of only one book, the 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz, which sold more copies in the first weeks of publication than all his previous novels combined. Alexanderplatz is known for its depiction of the criminal underground of Berlin and a montage and stream-of-consciousness technique comparable to James Joyce's Ulysses; it became one of the best-known big-city novels of the century and has remained Doeblin's one enduring popular success. Doeblin was forced into exile in 1933, and the works he wrote in exile were neglected by critics for decades. Now epic works like Amazonas, November 1918, and Hamlet, Oder die lange Nacht nimmt ein Ende are finding a fairer critical evaluation. Wulf Koepke tackles the paradox of Doeblin the leading but neglected avant-gardist by analysis of contemporary and later criticism, both journalistic and academic, always taking into account the historical context in which it appeared.
Wulf Koepke is Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M University.
Reviews / Votes
Koepke's book contains all the features needed to familiarize Anglo-Saxon readers with one of Germany's greatest modern writers and to stimulate greater interest in his works. * GERMAN QUARTERLY *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Columbia, MD
United States
Publishing group
Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
581 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-57113-209-3 (9781571132093)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2003
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€48.99
Available for download
Person
WULF KOEPKE is Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M University.
Content
Preface
Major Novels by Alfred Doeblin
Introduction
Contemporary Reviews before 1933
Contemporary Reviews after 1933: Doeblin in Exile
Doeblin Scholarship: The First Approaches
Die drei Spruenge des Wang-lun
Wadzeks Kampf mit der Dampfturbine
Wallenstein
Berge Meere und Giganten
Manas
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Babylonische Wandrung
Pardon wird nicht gegeben
Amazonas
November 1918
Hamlet oder Die lange Nacht nimmt ein Ende
Doeblin's Impact on Other Writers
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Major Novels by Alfred Doeblin
Introduction
Contemporary Reviews before 1933
Contemporary Reviews after 1933: Doeblin in Exile
Doeblin Scholarship: The First Approaches
Die drei Spruenge des Wang-lun
Wadzeks Kampf mit der Dampfturbine
Wallenstein
Berge Meere und Giganten
Manas
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Babylonische Wandrung
Pardon wird nicht gegeben
Amazonas
November 1918
Hamlet oder Die lange Nacht nimmt ein Ende
Doeblin's Impact on Other Writers
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index