 |
|
|
|
|
Michel
RODANGE: D'Léierchen - N°1 |
|
|
D'Léierchen
is one of Michel Rodange's (1827-1876) most beautiful poetic texts.
It takes the reader to the world of the Luxembourg peasant during
the years 1860-1870.
Alain Atten writes a minute commentary on this work, he analyses the
different manuscript versions, explains difficult terms and relationships
and provides some interesting insight into the agricultural reality
of 19th century Luxembourg. A description of Rodange's life and work
and a detailed bibliography complete this indispensable and enjoyable
reference tool.
The
illustrated volume contains 207 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Félix
THYES: Marc Bruno
- N°2 |
|
|
| Félix
Thyes (1830-1855) died young. This edition by Frank Wilhelm shows
his outstanding literary talent. His letters, many of which are published
here for the first time, a wide range of reviews, a detailed bibliography
and a minute commentary on this literary work of art which was especially
known among Brussels' intelligentsia make this book an important source
of information for Luxembourgish literature written in French in the
middle of the 19th century.
The
illustrated volume contains 207 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nik
WELTER: Lene Frank
- N°3 |
|
|
| This
play by Nik Welter (1871-1951) is set at the beginning of the 20th
century and describes the problems of a young emancipated woman in
the Luxembourg society of the time. Germaine Goetzinger's commentary
shows that Welter was quite a modern author. Explanations on the literary
and political background of the work as well as a detailed bibliography
represent a rich and interesting source of information for the reader.
The
illustrated volume contains 194 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| DICKS:
Mumm Séis: Mutter Suse
- N°4 |
|
|
| Mumm
Séis is no doubt the most famous play by Dicks, whose real
name was Edmond De la Fontaine (1823-1891). The fact that there also
exists a German version of the play is certainly of particular interest.
Alain Atten presents the author and his work within their historical
context and gives a deep insight into the spirit of the times and
the drama tradition which was just about to re-develop in Luxembourg.
A critical commentary and a detailed bibliography offer a multitude
of interesting information for the reader.
The
illustrated volume contains 200 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Paul
PALGEN: Choix de poèmes
- N°5 |
|
|
Paul
Palgen (1883-1966) is one of our best French-writing authors. Thus
Nic Klecker rightly presents him as one of those rare poets who are
"here to stay".
The anthology constitutes a representative selection of the best poems
from his many books. An essay about the life and work of Palgen, who
lived abroad for a long time, as well as a detailed bibliography and
other interesting material are included in this volume.
The
illustrated volume contains 221 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nikolaus
HEIN: Der Verräter - N°6 |
|
|
| Der
Verräter (i.e. the traitor) is Nik. Hein's (1889-1969) masterpiece.
It is set in the period before 1839, when Luxembourg was claimed at
once by the Netherlands and Belgium.
The
story of Matthäus Conter, who could not and would not betray
his homeland before it ever became an independent state, has become
widely known thanks to the movie "De falschen Hond". Joseph
Groben once more presents this work of art to the reader and effectively
shows that the book has not lost any of its topicality.
The
illustrated volume contains 332 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Isi
COMES: 7 Erzielongen
- N°7 |
|
|
The
seventh volume in this series is dedicated to the secondary school
teacher Isi Comes (1875-1960) from Echternach. Some of his prose texts
are published here for the first time, like the famous short story
Den neie Postmeeschter or the tragic events of the Lex Talionis
(set in eighteenth-century Echternach).
Of the seven stories (written between 1918-1945), chosen and edited
by Roger Muller, four are taken from the Isi Comes fund which was
purchased by the linguistic section of the Institut Grand-Ducal. This
publication aims to round off the author's renown, as his works have
been long out of print. The selection represents a summary of Isi
Comes' narrative work who, without being a literary pioneer, was esteemed
by his contemporaries for his original and refined Luxembourgish.
Robert Bruch described Comes' importance for Luxembourg's literature
thus: "Un professeur ... qui n'a pas eu peur de faire de notre
parler le centre de toutes ses recherches et de toutes ses aspirations"
(a professor … who was not afraid to make our tongue the centre
of his research and aspirations).
The
illustrated volume contains 335 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Alexander
WEICKER: Fetzen
- N°8 |
|
|
Volume eight in this series is a re-edition of Alexander Weicker's
(1893-1983) novel Fetzen. Gast Mannes presents this adventurous
tale about a "superfluous person", whose title (which might
be translated by "Shreds") summarizes the whole book: a
shredded text, a shredded perception of the world and the shredded
conscience of an idealist marked by resignation and cultural ennui:
The protagonist's creative principles, namely self-irony, sarcasm
and the grotesque, all serve the same moralising purpose. This unique
prose work reaches the limits of what is commonly called a novel.
The action is set in Munich, Berlin and Stuttgart of the twenties.
It serves as a frame tale for glimpses on all possible and impossible
aspects of human knowledge; the anti-hero delights in all kinds
of provocative and anti-middle class maxims and aphorisms. The novel
was first published in 1921 by the Georg Müller Verlag in Munich,
which is one of the most renowned German publishing houses. It can
be seen as the ingenious prefiguration of the (post-)modern way
of life and writing of a young man who, as a student at Munich University,
had a lasting influence on the life and creativity of Marieluise
Fleisser; who came into conflict with Lion Feuchtwanger, burned
up like a glowing comet in the literary sky and finally traded his
adventurous ways for a middle-class life in Luxembourg.
The
illustrated volume contains 477 pages.
An analysis
of the novel by Raoul Weicker (in German)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Batty
WEBER: Fenn Kaß
- N°9
|
|
|
|
Volume 9 is a re-edition of Batty Weber's (1860-1940) novel Fenn
Kass, presented and commented by Josiane Weber.
The
first edition of this novel was published in 1913 by the renowned
German publishing house "Rütten & Loening". It
recounts the life of Ferdinand, called Fenn Kass, a young man from
the small Luxembourg town Wiesing (Frising), who is chooses out
of necessity to become a priest. After difficult student years,
he is offered the post of curate in Brebach. But his progressive
ideas concerning faith, politics and agriculture put him in conflict
with his superiors, as well as with parts of the local peasantry.
Though he finally manages to gain the respect and love of his parish,
he decides to retire from his post in order to take up engineering
at Munich University.
In
his most well-known novel, the writer and journalist Batty Weber
describes the conservative, patriarchal and authority-oriented mentality
of large parts of the Luxembourg population at the beginning of
the twentieth century, when the agrarian country found itself at
the threshold to an industrial society and the Roman Catholic Church
was slowly losing its political power. Fenn Kass presents a detailed
and stratified analysis of this important period in Luxembourg history.
Josiane
Weber provides interesting background information on the social,
ideological and political climate at the turn of the last century.
Biographical details, a discussion on the controversial reception
of the novel and its place in literary history round up this well-researched
commentary.
The
illustrated volume contains 474 pages.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Joseph
Funk: Kleines Schicksal - N°10 |
|
|
Kleines Schicksal evokes the world of the ragpickers from
the lower parts of Luxembourg city and the conflicts which arise
from their clashes with the uptown bourgeoisie. Joseph Funck's (1902-1978)
novel, which was first published in 1933-1934, recreates a dark
side of Luxembourg's social reality in the first decades of the
twentieth century. On a more interpretive level, it discusses the
social tensions of the time between the two world wars and the ensuing
endeavours to establish an objective, socially and politically engaged
literature in Luxembourg.
Pierre
Marson's commentary provides useful biographical, literary and political
background information and thus aims at situating the novel within
its historical and literary context.
The
illustrated volume contains 270 pages.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Pol
Michels: Choix de textes 1917-1922 - N°11 |
|
|
|
Pol
Michels, born into a well-to-do middle class family, develops quite
early a liking for the leftist mouvement and even feels drawn to
the political extreme left. Between 1917-1922, he spends his student
years at the Universities of Berlin, Munich, Nancy and Paris.
His
works sometimes take the form of real manifests, analyzing movements
such as futurism, expressionism, bolchevism and, later, communism
in view of supporting his main interest, the internationalism. Though
quite radical in his views, Michel counterbalances his ideas by
his equally strong belief in a pacifism which, according to him,
should be at the core of all pan-european aspirations. To this day,
Michels is well-remembered for his translations (Gottfried Benn,
Else Lasker-Schüler) which furthered the discussion and influence
of German expressionist works in the French-speaking intellectual
circles.
The
texts in this volume illustrate the very European course of life
of the Luxembourgish writer Pol Michels. His thinking is based on
an original symbiosis of dadaïsm and the philosophical ideas
the group Clarté.His merits in discussing and promoting of
the ideas of the political and literary avant-garde, who met in
the years 1916-1922 at the intellectual and cultural cross-roads
of Europe, can hardly be overrated. His life reflects the universal
aspirations of a generation who was ready to one day tear down all
borders.
|
 |
|
|
|
