The Schnitzler collection of Jeffrey B. Berlin

On February 17, 2023February 15, 2023 By europeancollectionsIn German, Special collectionsLeave a comment

In August 2022 we were privileged to receive seven boxes containing several hundred volumes of works by the famous Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler. The books come from the library of the late Professor Jeffrey B. Berlin and were generously offered as a gift to the University Library by his widow, Anne Berlin. We happily accepted the offer as this comprehensive collection of the printed works of Arthur Schnitzler complements our existing renowned collection of Schnitzler manuscripts.

Professor Berlin, who died in 2021, was a highly respected Germanist with a particular interest in the literature of fin de siècle Vienna. He is best known for the extensive edition of Stefan Zweig’s correspondence (749:37.d.95.126-129) published by S. Fischer 1995-2005. Prof. Berlin also published numerous papers on Arthur Schnitzler and was for many years a member of the editorial team of Modern Austrian Literature, the journal of International Arthur Schnitzler Research Association. He was responsible for the annual Schnitzler bibliography published in this journal which inspired him to assemble his collection of Schnitzler’s published works. Continue reading “The Schnitzler collection of Jeffrey B. Berlin” →

Alchemical Connections in the UL: Jung and Eastern Alchemy

On September 16, 2022 By europeancollectionsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

In my previous blog post, I examined a selection of the texts in the Bibliotheca Hermetica series, a recent addition to our catalogue. In this post, I wish to take a wider view of alchemy, and how the material connects people of different time periods. History is inherent to each manuscript, not only detailing the provenance and creation of each work, but also how the content shaped the lives of the people who read it. In this way, the collection of alchemical texts in the UL is a rich fabric of interwoven connections and textual interpretations, which spans centuries of academic understanding, creating almost a visual mind-map of human curiosity and giving the impetus to discover and learn more.

One particular example of how ideas interconnect across time, is Carl Jung, the Swiss 20^th century psychiatrist, and The Secret of the Golden Flower (9840.b.17). Although psychology and alchemy may appear to be vastly different fields of enquiry, Jung’s approach to his specialism had a lot in common with the historical alchemists he researched. Like them, he was concerned with the unification of opposites, focusing primarily on the conscious and the unconscious, a theme he noted in a variety of Eastern archetypical images. Jung’s concept of individuation is also reminiscent of Western alchemical practices. In differentiating the self into conscious and unconscious elements, Jung was applying to psychology techniques which alchemists had applied to early approaches to natural science. Continue reading “Alchemical Connections in the UL: Jung and Eastern Alchemy” →

Schöningh and Fink ebook collections

On October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 By europeancollectionsIn ebooks, GermanLeave a comment

While ebook publishing of academic titles in Germany has been lagging behind in comparison to the anglophone world, great strides have been made in the last few years and now most of the major academic publishers offer their titles in ebook format. However, one major problem is that institutional access to ebooks can often be much more expensive than purchasing the print version. The University Library has been acquiring an increasing amount of German language ebooks. We have access to many German language ebooks through our EBA (Evidence Based Acquisition) scheme with de Gruyter and we acquire numerous individual titles from the major aggregator platforms.

Recently we have purchased our first ebook packages. These are the Schöningh and Fink ebook collections which are offered by Brill. Ferdinand Schöningh and Wilhelm Fink are renowned academic publishing houses with Schöningh focusing on history, theology and philosophy while Fink concentrates on philology and media studies. The ebook collections are organized by subject and issued annually. We have acquired the 2020 and 2021 collections for the subject areas Early Modern & Modern History and Literature & Culture, giving us access to 240 titles. Records for these titles can be found in iDiscover. Below we list a selection of titles from the collections to give an idea of the range of topics covered; follow the hyperlinks under the cover images for access.

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Tauchnitz Collections reveal how reading fashions have changed

On March 12, 2021March 12, 2021 By europeancollectionsIn GermanLeave a comment

Castello Brown above Portofino, the setting for *The Enchanted April* (randreu via Wikimedia Commons)

A year ago, as we headed into lockdown and prepared for library closures, I ensured that I had plenty of new reading matter from both the UL and public libraries. One slim volume that I borrowed was Elizabeth von Arnim’s 1922 novel The Enchanted April, a charming book which proved to be the perfect springtime companion, allowing me to escape to the sunshine of the Italian Riviera at a time when I could barely leave my house. The copy was a Tauchnitz edition from 1925, acquired by the UL in 1982. It contained this intriguing statement:

The copyright of this collection is purchased for continental circulation only and the volumes may therefore not be introduced into Great Britain or her colonies. Sold by all booksellers and at all railway bookstalls on the Continent.

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Emmy Hennings rediscovered

On December 10, 2020December 9, 2020 By europeancollectionsIn German, New AcquisitionsLeave a comment

A poster for Cabaret Voltaire (source: Wikimedia)

The literary author and cabaret artist Emmy Hennings (or Emmy Ball-Hennings) was one of the most fascinating figures in German literary life in the first half of the 20th century. Born in 1885, she worked in a variety of jobs before becoming a cabaret artist touring Germany, performing in famous venues such as Simplicissimus in Munich or Café Grössenwahn in Berlin. While in Munich she became a contributor to the literary magazine Simplicissimus and met her future husband, Hugo Ball. The pair moved to Zurich where in 1916, together with other artists, they founded Cabaret Voltaire, one of the key institutions of the Dada movement. At Cabaret Voltaire she became the star of the evening performances. The couple married in 1920 but Hugo Ball died in 1927. After his death she devoted her energy to editing and issuing his works. She herself died in 1948 in Sorengo in Switzerland. Continue reading “Emmy Hennings rediscovered” →

German prizewinners 2020

On October 22, 2020 By europeancollectionsIn GermanLeave a comment

German literary life is supported and stimulated by numerous prizes which help authors in their pursuit of a literary career. Each October two of the most prominent prizes are awarded, namely the Deutsche Buchpreis and the Georg Büchner Preis.

The Deutsche Buchpreis is sponsored by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and awarded at the beginning of the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year’s winner was Anne Weber for her book Annette, ein Heldinnenepos. In this remarkable book Anne Weber tells the story of the French resistance fighter Anne Beaumanoir using the form of an epic poem. This brief video introduces the author and her book.

Anne Weber is well known for her literary experiments and has published several works of fiction. However, literary critics in Germany have agreed that Annette, ein Heldinnenepos is her best work so far and a worthy winner of the Deutsche Buchpreis. In particular the critics pointed out that the unusual literary form of epic poem was well used for telling the story of Anne Beaumanoir. For a summary of the reviews see Perlentaucher.

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1990 remembered

On September 25, 2020 By europeancollectionsIn German, New AcquisitionsLeave a comment

Thirty years ago, on 3 October 1990, East and West Germany were reunited as East Germany formally joined West Germany. This date is now celebrated as Unification Day in Germany.

1990 was a year of rapid change in East Germany following the dramatic events of 1989, the peaceful revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. A ‘round table’ acted as an interim government until the elections in March 1990 which resulted in the first democratically elected parliament in the history of East Germany. This parliament approved the decision for East Germany to join West Germany. The unification was preceded by the conversion of the East German currency to West German currency in July 1990. All these internal events were accompanied by negotiations on an international level. While the dramatic events of 1989 have a clear place in the collective memory it seems that this is not the case for the events of 1990. Continue reading “1990 remembered” →

George Steiner bequest

On March 20, 2020 By europeancollectionsIn German, Special collectionsLeave a comment

I was recently delighted to catalogue and add to our collections a number of rare German philosophy and literature titles. These rather special books came from the library of the eminent literary scholar, the late Professor George Steiner who sadly died earlier this year. Numerous obituaries have been published outlining his career and achievements. George Steiner had finally settled in Cambridge after a long career which took him from the University of Chicago to Harvard, Oxford, Princeton and Geneva. Living in Cambridge he became a regular user of the University Library and it was his wish that some of the most precious volumes of his library should come eventually to the University Library.

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The fall of the Berlin Wall and Stefan Heym

On November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 By europeancollectionsIn German, Special collections1 Comment

Last Saturday Germany marked the 30^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with numerous events. It was in the night of November 9, 1989 that the Berlin Wall was opened and East German citizens could freely visit the western part of Berlin. In the coming days, the whole border between East and West Germany would be opened. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the culmination of the dramatic events of autumn 1989 when the citizens of East Germany took to the streets to demand freedom of speech and the press and the freedom to travel. In October 1989 when the communist leadership wanted to celebrate 40 years of East Germany the citizens found their voice and made their demands heard. Within a year East Germany was unified with West Germany in a process of rapid democratization.

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Fontane – 200

On July 27, 2019 By europeancollectionsIn German1 Comment

200 years ago, on December 30, 1819, Theodor Fontane, one of the best-known 19^th century German authors, was born. He grew up in Neuruppin, a small town in the Mark Brandenburg north of Berlin. He trained and worked as a pharmacist before embarking on a literary career, starting as a journalist before becoming one of the most prolific novelists of the 19^th century.

Portrait by Carl Breitbach via Wikimedia Commons

The 200^th anniversary of his birth is being celebrated throughout this year with numerous exhibitions and events in the Brandenburg region (more details here). The main exhibition is being held in Neuruppin from March 30 to December 30 and aims to give an insight into Fontane’s authorial practice. This exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue which the library has acquired (C202.b.3557). Continue reading “Fontane – 200” →

Languages across Borders

Tag: German literature