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The major works of Erich Loest 1950-1985
thesis
posted on 2010-11-22, 16:23 authored by Patricia E. BuckleyThe aim of this thesis is to contribute to existing research
on individual GDR authors by providing the first in-depth
study of Erich Loest's life and work in any language. The
study divides Loest's life and works into three parts, the
divisions corresponding to what Loest regards as the most
prominent milestones in his life. The first period,
1950-57, covers Loest's phase as a socialist realist writer
in post-war Germany. Analysis of his work during this
period shows how Loest was keen to display his commitment to
the Marxist-Leninist ideology of the GDR, by adhering
strictly to the principles of socialist realism as laid down
by the SED. The second stage of Loest's career is marked by
his release from Bautzen prison where he had served seven
years for alleged counter-revolutionary activities. His
post-Bautzen works are characterised by growing concern for
the rights of the individual as opposed to the welfare of
the state as a whole. The final section of this study deals
with those works published since Loest's move to the West in
1981, since when he has largely continued to rely on his
knowledge of the GDR as the basis of his novels. In
investigating these three phases I shall argue that Loest is
a writer who deserves to be included in any analysis of the
evolution of GDR literature, if only because his career as a
writer began in 1950 just after the founding of the state,
and thus bears eloquent witness to the development of GDR
literature and society over a period of more than thirty
years. As part of this study an interview was conducted
with Loest at his home in Bad Godesberg in order to obtain
further information, particularly regarding his earlier
works, which are largely unknown in the West. The
conclusion of the study is that the novels Es geht seinen
Gang and Volkerschlachtdenkmal, represent Loest's greatest
achievements.
History
School
- The Arts, English and Drama
Department
- English and Drama