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Journey Through America
Amerikafahrt by Wolfgang Koeppen is a masterpiece of observation, analysis, and writing, based on his 1958 trip to the United States. A major twentieth-century German writer, Koeppen presents a vivid and fascinating portrait of the US in the late 1950 its major cities, its literary culture, its troubled race relations, its multi-culturalism and its vast loneliness, a motif drawn, in part, from Kafka’s Amerika . A modernist travelogue, the text employs symbol, myth, and image, as if Koeppen sought to answer de Tocqueville’s questions in the manner of Joyce and Kafka. Journey through America is also a meditation on America, intended for a German audience and mindful of the destiny of postwar Europe under many Americanizing influences.
- GenresTravel
172 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2012
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30 people want to read
About the author
Wolfgang Koeppen
66 books42 followersWolfgang Arthur Reinhold Koeppen (June 23, 1906 – March 15, 1996) was a German novelist and one of the best known German authors of the post-war period.
Koeppen was born out of wedlock in Greifswald, Pomerania to Marie Köppen, a seamstress who also worked as a prompter at the Greifswald theater. He did not have contact with his father, ophthalmologist Reinhold Halben, who never formally accepted the fatherhood. In 1920, Koeppen left Greifswald permanently, and after 20 years of moving about, settled in Munich, living there the remainder of his life.
He started out as a journalist. In 1934 his first novel appeared while he was in the Netherlands. In 1947, Koeppen received a book contract to rewrite the memoirs of the philatelist and Holocaust survivor Jakob Littner (born 1883 in Budapest, died 1950 in New York City). The resulting novel caused some controversy based on whether Koeppen was given a written manuscript to guide his work on Littner, and the novel never sold well. In 1992, a new edition was published, which led to the discovery of Littner's original text. In 2000, Littner's original manuscript was published in English and in 2002, in German.
In 1951, Koeppen had published his novel Tauben im Gras (Pigeons on the Grass), which utilized a stream of consciousness literary technique and is considered a significant work of German-language literature by Germany's foremost literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki. "Das Treibhaus" (1953) was translated into English as "The Hothouse" (2001) and was named a Notable Book by the "New York Times" and one of the Best Books of the Year by the "Los Angeles Times." Koeppen's last major novel Der Tod in Rom (Death in Rome) was published in 1954. In the ensuing years, Koeppen found it difficult to complete longer works.
Between 1962 and 1987, Koeppen received numerous literary prizes in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1962 he was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize.
Koeppen was born out of wedlock in Greifswald, Pomerania to Marie Köppen, a seamstress who also worked as a prompter at the Greifswald theater. He did not have contact with his father, ophthalmologist Reinhold Halben, who never formally accepted the fatherhood. In 1920, Koeppen left Greifswald permanently, and after 20 years of moving about, settled in Munich, living there the remainder of his life.
He started out as a journalist. In 1934 his first novel appeared while he was in the Netherlands. In 1947, Koeppen received a book contract to rewrite the memoirs of the philatelist and Holocaust survivor Jakob Littner (born 1883 in Budapest, died 1950 in New York City). The resulting novel caused some controversy based on whether Koeppen was given a written manuscript to guide his work on Littner, and the novel never sold well. In 1992, a new edition was published, which led to the discovery of Littner's original text. In 2000, Littner's original manuscript was published in English and in 2002, in German.
In 1951, Koeppen had published his novel Tauben im Gras (Pigeons on the Grass), which utilized a stream of consciousness literary technique and is considered a significant work of German-language literature by Germany's foremost literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki. "Das Treibhaus" (1953) was translated into English as "The Hothouse" (2001) and was named a Notable Book by the "New York Times" and one of the Best Books of the Year by the "Los Angeles Times." Koeppen's last major novel Der Tod in Rom (Death in Rome) was published in 1954. In the ensuing years, Koeppen found it difficult to complete longer works.
Between 1962 and 1987, Koeppen received numerous literary prizes in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1962 he was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 3, 2017
Ein Wirbel. Erschöpfend, dabei detailliert, farbenfroh, kritisch, genau und poetisch. Der Versuch, nicht nur im Inhalt, sondern auch in der Form des Textes eine Charakterisierung des Landes zu geben, die von sog. Sehenswürdigkeiten völlig unabhängig ist. Dieser Versuch ist rundum gelungen.
Es ist selten, daß man schon auf den ersten 10-20 Seiten ein Buch mehrfach aus der Hand legen muß weil man spürt: das ist brillant.
Es ist selten, daß man schon auf den ersten 10-20 Seiten ein Buch mehrfach aus der Hand legen muß weil man spürt: das ist brillant.
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July 29, 2021Koeppen schildert verschiedenste Orte und Personen Amerikas, beobachtet unterschiedliche Gruppen und offensichtliche Diskriminierung. Allerdings nicht sehr tiefgehend. Am Ende wirkt es dann immer noch, als wäre es das Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten. Es ist nicht unbedingt eine romantische, aber eine fast schon poetische Sichtweise, die sich bestimmt in vielen heutigen Reiseberichten finden lassen würde: Nicht von oben herab aber aus einer privilegierten Position.
Oh, und auch wenn ich seinen Schreibstil mag, war doch das N-Wort sehr häufig zu lesen. Geschichtlicher Kontext und so, ich weiß, aber es war trotzdem anstrengend zu lesen.
Oh, und auch wenn ich seinen Schreibstil mag, war doch das N-Wort sehr häufig zu lesen. Geschichtlicher Kontext und so, ich weiß, aber es war trotzdem anstrengend zu lesen.
October 20, 2024
Ein Wirbel. Erschöpfend, dabei detailliert, farbenfroh, kritisch, genau und poetisch. Der Versuch, nicht nur im Inhalt, sondern auch in der Form des Textes eine Charakterisierung des Landes zu geben, die von sog. Sehenswürdigkeiten völlig unabhängig ist. Dieser Versuch ist rundum gelungen.
Es ist selten, daß man schon auf den ersten 10-20 Seiten ein Buch mehrfach aus der Hand legen muß weil man spürt: das ist brillant.
Es ist selten, daß man schon auf den ersten 10-20 Seiten ein Buch mehrfach aus der Hand legen muß weil man spürt: das ist brillant.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews