Designed to provide English readers of German literature the opportunity to familiarize themselves with both the established canon and newly emerging literatures that reflect the concerns of women and ethnic minorities, the Encyclopedia of German Literature includes more than 500 entries on writers, individual work, and topics essential to an understanding of this rich literary tradition. Drawing on the expertise of an international group of experts, the essays in the encyclopedia reflect developments of the latest scholarship in German literature, culture, and history and society. In addition to the essays, author entries include biographies and works lists; and works entries provide information about first editions, selected critical editions, and English-language translations. All entries conclude with a list of further readings.

"These twenty-six stories illustrate Heinrich Boll's finely nuanced storytelling at its best. In stunning portraits of ordinary people, Boll creates a rich tapestry of the dark years in postwar Germany. There are tales of soldiers on leave, listlessly visiting bars and brothels; stories of children rendered with a simplicity that belies their emotional impact; and stark vignettes of people struggling to re-make their lives against the ruined landscape of war-devastated towns and villages. Representing Boll's youthful beginnings, this collection introduces the themes that inform his life-long literary accomplishments and the wit, intelligence, and lyricism that made Boll one of contemporary Europe's most acclaimed writers."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Focusing on individual authors from Heinrich Boll to Gunther Grass, Hermann Lenz to Peter Schneider, The Language of Silence offers an analysis of West German literature as it tries to come to terms with the Holocaust and its impact on postwar West German society. Exploring postwar literature as the barometer of Germany's unconsciously held values as well as of its professed conscience, Ernestine Schlant demonstrates that the confrontation with the Holocaust has shifted over the decades from repression, circumvention, and omission to an open acknowledgement of the crimes. Yet even today a 'language of silence' remains since the victims and their suffering are still overlooked and ignored. Learned and exacting, Schlant's study makes an important contribution to our understanding of postwar German culture.

Includes entries for maps and atlases.