First representative English collection of the Sturm und Drang writer
Lenz, suited for the classroom and anyone interested in German
literature, the European Enlightenment, or the theory and practice of
theater.
Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz (1751-1792) is, after Goethe, the most
important writer of the German Sturm und Drang. Crucial in the
reinvention of German literature through the reception of Shakespeare,
his works contain a scathing critique of the ethical, political, and
sexual regimes then prevailing in German and Eastern European
territories. Both aesthetically and politically, Lenz strongly
influenced later German writers - most notably Georg Büchner and Bertolt
Brecht. In Germany, Lenz is still widely read and performed. Given his
importance and lasting reception, it is surprising that many of his
texts are not available in English. While his best-known dramas have
been translated, many of his essays have not, and none of his stories or
poems have been. This is especially astonishing given the growth of
English-language Lenz scholarship over recent decades.
This volume contains new - and, in many cases, first - English
translations of Lenz's most important plays, stories, essays, and poems.
It is the first representative English collection of Lenz's works.
Providing reliable translations of Lenz's key writings and succinct
glosses of historical and literary references, this book is a valuable
resource for classroom use and for anyone interested in German
literature, the European Enlightenment, or the theory and practice of
theater.
Martin Wagner is Assistant Professor of German at the University of
Calgary. Ellwood Wiggins is Assistant Professor of German at the
University of Washington.
