Christa Wolf's Legacy: Art as Combat in 'Ville des anges'
Christa Wolf, a leading literary figure in Germany since the 1960s, delves into her final work, 'Ville des anges' (Seuil), set in early 1990s Los Angeles. This piece uniquely merges novel, fugue, poetry, and philosophical reflections, exploring themes of exile in the wake of German reunification. Wolf, born in Prussia in 1929, lived through Soviet control and the GDR, facing Stasi surveillance, which she recounted in 'What Remains' (1990). Her notable 1979 novel 'No Place on Earth' imagines a meeting between Heinrich von Kleist and Caroline von Günderrode in June 1804. Awarded the Büchner Prize in 1980, she also wrote 'Cassandra' and 'Patterns of Childhood' and recently had 'August' published posthumously in Germany. The article highlights the translators’ contributions.
Key facts
- Christa Wolf's 'Ville des anges' is set in early 1990s Los Angeles.
- Wolf was born in 1929 in Prussia and lived in the GDR.
- She was surveilled by the Stasi, described in 'What Remains' (1990).
- 'No Place on Earth' (1979) imagines a meeting of Kleist and Günderrode in June 1804.
- Wolf received the Büchner Prize in 1980.
- She opposed the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Prague.
- She supported Wolf Biermann after his 1976 denaturalization.
- Her posthumous book 'August' was published in Germany.
- Translators include Alain Lance, Renate Lance-Otterbein, Ghislain Riccardi, Yasmine Hoffmann, Maryvonne Litaize, Lucien Haag, and Marie-Ange Roy.
Entities
Artists
- Christa Wolf
- Heinrich von Kleist
- Caroline von Günderrode
- Bertolt Brecht
- Thomas Mann
- Wolf Biermann
- William Shakespeare
Institutions
- Seuil
- Stasi
- Libération
- artpress
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Germany
- Prussia
- Rhin
- Prague
- Czech Republic
Sources
- artpress —