Hans Magnus Enzensberger was a German author whose works were marked by profound intellectual insight and satirical sharpness. His poetry and essays often explored the complexities of modern society, politics, and culture. Through his diverse body of work, which also included translation and editorial contributions, Enzensberger solidified his position as an influential voice in German and world literature. His writing is valued for its demanding nature and its capacity to provoke thought.
H. M. Enzensberger v básnické sbírce Fúrie mizení prohlubuje svoje skeptické
postoje vůči technickému a společenskému pokroku, vůči velkým ideám a
ideologiím, přičemž reflektuje civilizační šum, postupující entropii, děsivou
všednodenní šeď. Autor přiblížil rytmus mluvené formě, položil důraz na
maximální věcnost, a přitom zůstával důsledným jazykovým komponistou a
montérem. Básnické Já zde není oním lepším budoucím z věku lidské pospolitosti
a ohleduplnosti, naopak: promlouvá z období, kdy je člověk člověku vlkem, kdy
si každý uprostřed agresivního technizovaného světa prostě musí pomoct sám.
Northern Spain is the only part of Western Europe where anarchism played a significant role in political life of the twentieth century. Enjoying wide-ranging support among both the urban and rural working class, its importance peaked during its "brief summer"--the civil war between the Republic and General Franco's Falangists, during which anarchists even participated in the government of Catalonia. Anarchy's Brief Summer brings anarchism to life by focusing on the charismatic leader Buenaventura Durruti (1896-1936), who became a key figure in the Spanish Civil War after a militant and adventurous youth. The basis of the book is a compilation of texts: personal testimony, interviews with survivors, contemporary documents, memoirs, and academic assessments. They are all linked by Enzenberger's own assessment in a series of glosses--a literary form that is somewhere between retelling and reconstruction--with the contradiction between fiction and fact reflecting the political contradictions of the Spanish Revolution. On the trail of forgotten, half-suppressed struggles, Anarchy's Brief Summer offers a unique portrait of a revolutionary movement that is largely unknown outside Spain.
»Leichte Gedichte« in einer Zeit schwerer globaler Krisen – kann das gutgehen? Und was wollen sie uns sagen? Doch kurzweilig wird es allemal, wenn ein Dichter und ein Bildkünstler vom Range Enzensbergers und Tripps uns den Schein des Lebens vor Augen führen. Mit Lust und Laune wirbeln beide ihn auf, den Staub unserer irdischen Verhältnisse in Gestalt von Menschen, Tieren und Dingen. Da wird noch auf einer Beisetzung die Nacht durch getanzt, als sich herausstellt: Der Tote ist gar nicht endgültig tot. Makaber? Nicht, solange alles in ein paar Binnenreime, ein Liedchen à la Heine, eine Villanelle oder eine Bildsequenz passt. Und was danach? Ohne Eintrittskarte auf eine unheilige Auferstehung zu warten kann Nerven kosten. Hauptsache also, es ist schnell vorbei und alle Beteiligten befinden erleichtert: »Schwamm drüber!«
A collection of writings based on Enzensberger's personal experience as a left-wing sympathizer during the 1960s. Hans Magnus Enzensberger, widely regarded as Germany's greatest living poet, was already well known in the 1960s, the tempestuous decade of which Tumult is an autobiographical record. Derived from old papers, notes, jottings, photos, and letters that the poet stumbled upon years later in his attic, the volume is not so much about the man, but rather the many places he visited and people whom he met on his travels through the Soviet Union and Cuba during the 1960s. The book is made up of four long-form pieces written from 1963 to 1970, each episode concluding with a poem and postscript written in 2014. Translated by Mike Mitchell, the book is a lively and deftly written travelogue offering a glimpse into the history of leftist thought. Dedicated to "those who disappeared," Tumult is a document of that which remains one of humanity's headiest times.
Any new book by poet, essayist, writer, and translator Hans Magnus Enzensberger, one of the most influential and internationally renowned German intellectuals, is cause for notice, and Mr. Zed's Reflections is no exception. Every afternoon for almost a year, a plump man named Mr. Zed comes to the same spot in the city park and engages passersby with quick-witted repartee. Those who pass ask, who is this man? A wisecracker, a clown, a belligerent philosopher? Many shake their heads and move on; others listen to him, engage with him, and, again and again, end up at the same place. He doesn't write anything down, but his listeners often take notes. With subversive energy and masterful brevity, Mr. Zed undermines arrogance, megalomania, and false authority. A determined speaker who doesn't care for ambitions, he forces topics that others would rather keep to themselves. Reluctant to trust institutions and seeing absolutely nothing as "non-negotiable," he admits mistakes and does away with judgment. He is no mere ventriloquist dummy for his creator--he is too stubborn for that. And at the end of the season, when it becomes too cold and uncomfortable in the park, he disappears, never to be seen again. Collected in this thought-provoking and unique work are the considerations and provocations of this squat, park-bench philosopher, giving us a volume of truths and conversations that are clear-cut, skeptical, and fiercely illuminating.
Die Lektüre von Gedichten entfaltet eine faszinierende Verbindung zu Geistern aus anderen Zeiten und Räumen. Diese mysteriösen Echos und vielschichtigen Klänge hinterlassen einen bleibenden Eindruck und verdeutlichen, dass die Qualität eines Gedichts in seiner Fähigkeit liegt, solche tiefen Resonanzen hervorzurufen. Hans Magnus Enzensberger betrachtet diese Erfahrungen als Indikator für den Wert und die Bedeutung der Poesie.
In "Wirrwarr!" thematisiert der Dichter mit belustigtem, hintersinnigem Blick die Einflüsse von Täuschung und Routinen auf den Alltag. Er beleuchtet die Hinfälligkeit des Lebens und die Suche nach Sinn, während Hans Magnus Enzensbergers Gedichte mit Jan Peter Tripps Bildern und Justine Landats Buchgestaltung zu einer melancholischen Reise verbinden.
Eine humorvolle Neufassung des Struwwelpeters von Enzensberger und Kuhl lädt zum Vorlesen und Lachen ein. Die Geschichten um Daumenlutscher und Zappelphilipp werden frech und überraschend neu erzählt, ohne pädagogischen Zeigefinger. Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann führt durch die Szenen und ermutigt zu Widerworten.
