German 20th Century Poetry

Although there are several solid bilingual anthologies of 20th-century German poetry, the German-speaking countries have witnessed such a staggering excess of lyrical expression over the past century that there is still room for a new angle. Alas, not this one. Part of Continuum's "German Library" series, this unfocused anthology contributes little to the still-growing field. Besides lacking an introduction that provides an overview of the various literary movements, it offers an aloof preface, terse both in content and length. The choice of poems, too, is rather predictable even if many have been newly translated by the editors themselves. German scholar Grimm and poet Hunt have organized the anthology chronologically, according to the poets' birth dates, but have not included the publication year of the poems. It is thus difficult for all but their fellow scholars to contemplate the historical context in which they were written. They have also purposefully excluded all Nazi and Stalinist poetry, arguing that "those products are of poor aesthetic quality." By excluding the poetry of a key epoch in Europe's history, the editors have failed to make a distinction between an opinion and the quality of an artistic expression and have assembled an anthology that misrepresents a century diverse in both. Finally, although the anthology highlights the second half of the 20th century, there is not a single vital poem here that was not included, and masterfully translated, in Charlotte Melin's better- structured German Poetry in Transition, 1945-1990 (LJ 2/15/00). Recommended for large academic libraries only. Mirela Roncevic, "Library Journal" Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.