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Was fehlt: Unterdrückte Stimmen in der Literatur
Erstmals auf Deutsch: Anhand verblüffender Aussagen von Schreibenden beleuchtet Tillie Olsen, auf welch vielfältige Weise der schöpferische Geist seit jeher unterdrückt wurde. Neben Schriftstellern wie Melville und Kafka wendet sie sich vor allem Schriftstellerinnen wie Virginia Woolf, Janet Lewis und Ann Petry zu, deren Kräfte in Häuslichkeit und Mutterschaft aufgerieben wurden, deren sexuelle Orientierung oder Hautfarbe zu Ausgrenzung und Isolation führte. Sie öffnet den Blick für jene, die überhaupt keine Sprache finden konnten und einzig als Leerstellen in der Literatur auszumachen sind. Denn erst wenn wir anerkennen, was fehlt, können wir unsere Gesellschaft und die Literatur, die sie hervorbringt, richtig verstehen.
Die Neuentdeckung einer Vorreiterin der emanzipatorischen Literatur – ein Essayband, der eine ganze Generation veränderte
Die Neuentdeckung einer Vorreiterin der emanzipatorischen Literatur – ein Essayband, der eine ganze Generation veränderte
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2022
3 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Tillie Olsen
47 books132 followersTillie Lerner Olsen (January 14, 1912 – January 1, 2007) was an American writer associated with the political turmoil of the 1930s and the first generation of American feminists.
Though she published little, Olsen was very influential for her treatment of the lives of women and the poor. She drew attention to why women have been less likely to be published authors (and why they receive less attention than male authors when they do publish). Her work received recognition in the years of much feminist political and social activity. It contributed to new possibilities for women writers. Olsen's influence on American feminist fiction has caused some critics to be frustrated at simplistic feminist interpretations of her work. In particular, several critics have pointed to Olsen's Communist past as contributing to her thought. Olsen's fiction awards, and the ongoing attention to her work, is often focused upon her unique use of language and story form, a form close to poetry in compression and clarity, as well as upon the content.
Reviewing Olsen's life in The New York Times Book Review, Margaret Atwood attributed Olsen’s relatively small output to her full life as a wife and mother, a “grueling obstacle course” experienced by many writers. Her book Silences “ begins with an account, first drafted in 1962, of her own long, circumstantially enforced silence,” Atwood wrote. “She did not write for a very simple reason: A day has 24 hours. For 20 years she had no time, no energy and none of the money that would have bought both.”
In 1968, Olsen signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
Once her books were published, Olsen became a teacher and writer-in-residence at numerous colleges, such as Amherst College, Stanford University, MIT, and Kenyon College. She was the recipient of nine honorary degrees, National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Also among the honors bestowed upon Olsen was the Rea Award for the Short Story, in 1994, for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the field of short story writing.
Olsen died on January 1, 2007, in Oakland, California.
(from Wikipedia)
Though she published little, Olsen was very influential for her treatment of the lives of women and the poor. She drew attention to why women have been less likely to be published authors (and why they receive less attention than male authors when they do publish). Her work received recognition in the years of much feminist political and social activity. It contributed to new possibilities for women writers. Olsen's influence on American feminist fiction has caused some critics to be frustrated at simplistic feminist interpretations of her work. In particular, several critics have pointed to Olsen's Communist past as contributing to her thought. Olsen's fiction awards, and the ongoing attention to her work, is often focused upon her unique use of language and story form, a form close to poetry in compression and clarity, as well as upon the content.
Reviewing Olsen's life in The New York Times Book Review, Margaret Atwood attributed Olsen’s relatively small output to her full life as a wife and mother, a “grueling obstacle course” experienced by many writers. Her book Silences “ begins with an account, first drafted in 1962, of her own long, circumstantially enforced silence,” Atwood wrote. “She did not write for a very simple reason: A day has 24 hours. For 20 years she had no time, no energy and none of the money that would have bought both.”
In 1968, Olsen signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
Once her books were published, Olsen became a teacher and writer-in-residence at numerous colleges, such as Amherst College, Stanford University, MIT, and Kenyon College. She was the recipient of nine honorary degrees, National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Also among the honors bestowed upon Olsen was the Rea Award for the Short Story, in 1994, for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the field of short story writing.
Olsen died on January 1, 2007, in Oakland, California.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 28, 2022
»Wer schreibt, weiß, wie wichtig es ist, ernst genommen, mit Respekt für die eigene Vision und Redlichkeit behandelt zu werden, mit anderen Schreibenden kameradschaftlich zu verkehren, nach dem eigenen Werk beurteilt zu. Werden und nicht nach anderen Maßstäben, aber auch, welchen Zufälligkeiten Anerkennung und Veröffentlichung unterworfen sind. […], doch die allermeisten schreibenden Frauen sind hier im Nachteil.« (S.86 in »Was fehlt«)
Tillie Olsen (1912-2007) gilt als Ikone der literarischen Selbstermächtigung und Feministin. Sie ist bekannt für ihre Kurzgeschichten, Essays und Vorträge sowie einen Romanentwurf, welche nun erstmals ins Deutsche übersetzt und vom @Aufbauverlage veröffentlicht worden sind.
Den Titel dieser Essay- und Vortragssammlung »Was fehlt« von Tillie Olson, kann man als Frage oder auch als wehmütige Aussage verstehen. Das Buch versammelt 5 Vorträge / Essays der Autorin und das Vorwort von Julia Wolf setzt dieses sehr gelungen in den aktuellen Kontext.
Insbesondere das Essay »Das Schweigen in der Literatur« (1961) hat mich sehr begeistert und ist nach wie vor hochaktuell. Stellenweise wurde ich an das Sachbuch ‚FRAUENLITERATUR‘ (see its own Post 🫶🏼) erinnert und Tillie Olsen hinterfragt in diesem Essay den Literaturbetrieb und Mechanismen: Wen lesen und hören wir bzw. wen nicht? Und weshalb? Zudem untersucht sie, welche verschiedenen Arten des Schweigens in der Literatur zu finden sind und warum. 💭 Dabei zitiert sie passende Stellen von Autor:innen und
Das Buch »Ich steh hier und bügle« enthält 4 Stories der Autorin und wird ebenfalls um ein sehr passendes Nachwort ergänzt. Olson schreibt hierin über die Herausforderungen, denen Frauen gegenüber stehen, über Mutterschaft & Berufstätigkeit, über Familie, Gesellschaftsklassen und Armut.
Olson zeigt in ihren Essays, Vorträgen und Stories, dass sie intersektional Diskrimminierungsformen zusammendenkt und plädiert mit ihren Werken für eine Vision von einem literarischen Miteinander, in dem alle Stimmen gehört und gelesen werden. Eine große und nach wie vor sehr wichtige Vision ❤️🔥
Ich kann beide Bücher sehr empfehlen und finde, dass sich diese hervorragend ergänzen. Ich freue mich sehr über diese für mich literarische Entdeckung. 🫰🏼
_______________________
🇬🇧⬇️
_______________________
»Anyone who writes knows how important it is to be taken seriously, to be treated with respect for one's own vision and honesty, to have companionship with other writers, to be judged by one's own work and not by other standards. To be judged by one's own work and not by other standards, but also to see the contingencies to which recognition and publication are subject. [...] but the vast majority of women writers are at a disadvantage here.« (Own translation, p.86)
Tillie Olsen (1912-2007) is considered an icon of literary self-empowerment and a feminist. She is known for her short stories, essays and lectures as well as a draft novel, which have now been translated into German for the first time and published by @Aufbauverlage.
The title of this collection of essays and lectures, »Silences« by Tillie Olson, can be understood as a question or a wistful statement. The book collects 5 lectures / essays by the author and the foreword by Julia Wolf sets this very successfully in the current context.
In particular, I was very enthusiastic about the essay »Silence in Literature« (1961), which is still highly topical. In places I was reminded of the non-fiction book 'FRAUENLITERATUR' (see its own post 🫶🏼) and Tillie Olsen questions the literary establishment and mechanisms in this essay: Who do we read and listen to, or not? And why? She also examines the different types of silence found in literature and why. In doing so, she quotes appropriate passages from authors and writers.
The book »Tell Me a Riddle« contains 4 stories by the author and is also supplemented by a very appropriate epilogue. In it, Olson writes about the challenges women face, motherhood & work, family, social classes and poverty.
Olson shows in her essays, lectures and stories that she thinks together intersectionally forms of discrimination and pleads with her works for a vision of a literary togetherness in which all voices are heard and read. A great and still very important vision ❤️🔥
I highly recommend both books and think they complement each other beautifully. I am very happy about this literary discovery for me. 🫰🏼
Tillie Olsen (1912-2007) gilt als Ikone der literarischen Selbstermächtigung und Feministin. Sie ist bekannt für ihre Kurzgeschichten, Essays und Vorträge sowie einen Romanentwurf, welche nun erstmals ins Deutsche übersetzt und vom @Aufbauverlage veröffentlicht worden sind.
Den Titel dieser Essay- und Vortragssammlung »Was fehlt« von Tillie Olson, kann man als Frage oder auch als wehmütige Aussage verstehen. Das Buch versammelt 5 Vorträge / Essays der Autorin und das Vorwort von Julia Wolf setzt dieses sehr gelungen in den aktuellen Kontext.
Insbesondere das Essay »Das Schweigen in der Literatur« (1961) hat mich sehr begeistert und ist nach wie vor hochaktuell. Stellenweise wurde ich an das Sachbuch ‚FRAUENLITERATUR‘ (see its own Post 🫶🏼) erinnert und Tillie Olsen hinterfragt in diesem Essay den Literaturbetrieb und Mechanismen: Wen lesen und hören wir bzw. wen nicht? Und weshalb? Zudem untersucht sie, welche verschiedenen Arten des Schweigens in der Literatur zu finden sind und warum. 💭 Dabei zitiert sie passende Stellen von Autor:innen und
Das Buch »Ich steh hier und bügle« enthält 4 Stories der Autorin und wird ebenfalls um ein sehr passendes Nachwort ergänzt. Olson schreibt hierin über die Herausforderungen, denen Frauen gegenüber stehen, über Mutterschaft & Berufstätigkeit, über Familie, Gesellschaftsklassen und Armut.
Olson zeigt in ihren Essays, Vorträgen und Stories, dass sie intersektional Diskrimminierungsformen zusammendenkt und plädiert mit ihren Werken für eine Vision von einem literarischen Miteinander, in dem alle Stimmen gehört und gelesen werden. Eine große und nach wie vor sehr wichtige Vision ❤️🔥
Ich kann beide Bücher sehr empfehlen und finde, dass sich diese hervorragend ergänzen. Ich freue mich sehr über diese für mich literarische Entdeckung. 🫰🏼
_______________________
🇬🇧⬇️
_______________________
»Anyone who writes knows how important it is to be taken seriously, to be treated with respect for one's own vision and honesty, to have companionship with other writers, to be judged by one's own work and not by other standards. To be judged by one's own work and not by other standards, but also to see the contingencies to which recognition and publication are subject. [...] but the vast majority of women writers are at a disadvantage here.« (Own translation, p.86)
Tillie Olsen (1912-2007) is considered an icon of literary self-empowerment and a feminist. She is known for her short stories, essays and lectures as well as a draft novel, which have now been translated into German for the first time and published by @Aufbauverlage.
The title of this collection of essays and lectures, »Silences« by Tillie Olson, can be understood as a question or a wistful statement. The book collects 5 lectures / essays by the author and the foreword by Julia Wolf sets this very successfully in the current context.
In particular, I was very enthusiastic about the essay »Silence in Literature« (1961), which is still highly topical. In places I was reminded of the non-fiction book 'FRAUENLITERATUR' (see its own post 🫶🏼) and Tillie Olsen questions the literary establishment and mechanisms in this essay: Who do we read and listen to, or not? And why? She also examines the different types of silence found in literature and why. In doing so, she quotes appropriate passages from authors and writers.
The book »Tell Me a Riddle« contains 4 stories by the author and is also supplemented by a very appropriate epilogue. In it, Olson writes about the challenges women face, motherhood & work, family, social classes and poverty.
Olson shows in her essays, lectures and stories that she thinks together intersectionally forms of discrimination and pleads with her works for a vision of a literary togetherness in which all voices are heard and read. A great and still very important vision ❤️🔥
I highly recommend both books and think they complement each other beautifully. I am very happy about this literary discovery for me. 🫰🏼
Displaying 1 of 1 review