Herta Müller

By Lyn Marven and Brigid Haines

Book Overview

Herta M?ller is one of the leading figures in the new generation of German writers. An ethnic German born in the Romanian Banat, she first came to prominence with her scathing yet poetic depiction of the anti-idyll of village life, Niederungen (1982).The literary texts and essays which followed catalogued the decline of the Romanian-German community and the degredations of daily life in Ceauescu's Romania. Reflecting M?ller's move to West Berlin in 1987, the seminal novel Reisende auf einem Bein (1989) deals with the postmodern uncertainties of modern city life and casts a critical eye on contemporary German society. It was followed by further autofictional' texts exploring totalitarian rule and the Angst' it engenders. The Land of Green Plums, the English translation of the densely structured novel Herztier (1994), based on M?ller's experience of political repression in Romania, has recently achieved widespread international recognition though the award of the prestigious Dublin-IMPAC Prize.

The first book in English to be devoted exclusively to Herta M?ller, this collection of essays is intended both as an introduction for the general reader and a resource for the specialist. It contains ten previously unpublished short texts by M?ller, together with a revealing interview and a biographical outline. Six essays by British and German academics interpret key texts in detail and assess vital aspects of M?ller's entire oeuvre. The essays are complemented by the fullest bibliography on M?ller published since 1991.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0708314848
• ISBN13: 9780708314845
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: University of Wales Press
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.4"