GDR Bulletin
Volume 6
Issue 3 Fall
Article 20
1980
Liselotte Gumpel: "Concrete Poetry" from East and
West Germany. The Language of Exemplarism and
Experimentalism
Karl S. Weimar
Brown University
Follow this and additional works at: http://newprairiepress.org/gdr
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Weimar, Karl S. (1980) "Liselotte Gumpel: "Concrete Poetry" from East and West Germany. The Language of Exemplarism and
Experimentalism," GDR Bulletin: Vol. 6: Iss. 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.4148/gdrb.v6i3.544
This Review is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in GDR Bulletin by an authorized
administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact [email protected].
and a v i c t i m o f " f a t a l i s t i s c h e r
r e c e n t s c h o l a r s h i p t o what began t o o c c u r
e s sEast
i m iand
s mWest
u s . Germany.
" .HisT r e s p o n s e : "eine W e l t ,
Liselotte Gumpel: "Concrete Poetry"Pfrom
on the l i t e r a r y scene w i t h Weimar:
the appearance
die s i c h a l s 'gesund' d e k l a r i e r t und i h r e n
of U l r i c h P l e n z d o r f s Die neuen L e i d e n des
D i a g n o s t i k e r für k r a n k , sov/eit s e l b e r der
jungen W.
N o r m a l i t ä t e n t r ä t , daß s i e i h r e eigenen
Perhaps the s i n g l e most s i g n i f i c a n t conL e i d e n v e r k e n n t oder d i e s e a l s e i n Z e i c h e n
t r i b u t i o n i n the e n t i r e c o l l e c t i o n i s
b e s o n d e r e r Vitalität s o g a r noch a u s s t e l l t . "
F r a n z F ü h m a n n ' s "Zun 200. G e b u r t s t a g von
E . T. A. Hoffmann." Fiihmann, as many
o t h e r s i n t h i s volume, e x p r e s s e s a c l e a r
L e o n a r d L . Duroche
need f o r the e x p r e s s i o n of the i r r a t i o n a l .
U n i v e r s i t y of
He a l s o makes cogent arguments f o r the r e l Minnesota
evance of Romanticism t o a s o c i a l i s t
s o c i e t y . He contends t h a t E . T. A.
" C o n c r e t e " P o e t r y from E a s t and West
Hoffmann s t a n d s at the c e n t e r i n the
Germany: The Language o f Exemnlarism and
Romantic h i s t o r y o f c a p i t a l i z a t i o n , t h a t
Experimentation.
By L i s e l o t t e Gumpel.
the c o n t r a s t r e f l e c t s a deeper p l u r a l i s m
New
Haven:
Y
a
l
e
U
n
i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1976.
of v a l u e s i n b o u r g e o i s s o c i e t y i n the t r a n s 267
p
a
g
e
s
.
$15.
i t i o n phase f o l l o w i n g the F r e n c h R e v o l u t i o n ,
t h a t Hoffmann's a r t i s t s demonstrate the
Romantic r e s i s t a n c e t o t u r n i n g e v e r y t h i n g
i n t o exchange v a l u e .
The opening essay of the c o l l e c t i o n
( U l r i k e K r e n z l i n , "Romantik — z u r D e f i n i t i o n " ) i s f a r too b r o a d t o s a t i s f y
s p e c i a l i s t s i n any one f i e l d s i n c e i t
c o v e r s western as w e l l as E a s t e r n E u r o p e ,
l i t e r a t u r e , p o l i t i c a l h i s t o r y , the v i s u a l
a r t s , l a n d s c a p i n g , and a r c h i t e c t u r e . The
s t r e n g t h of the essay i s t h a t i t reminds
one o f the m u l t i - f a c e t e d a s p e c t s of Romanti c i s m and t h u s r e i n f o r c e s the " d i s c o v e r y "
( r e c o v e r y ? ) o f the f a c t t h a t t h e r e i s
indeed a r e v o l u t i o n a r y , p r o g r e s s i v e s i d e t o
Romanticism as w e l l as an a n t i - l i b e r t a r i a n ,
reactionary s i d e .
Two o f the most i n t e r e s t i n g c o n t r i b u t i o n s
are those o f w r i t e r s ( P e t e r Hacks, "Der
M e i n e i d D i c h t e r " and Günter K u n e r t , "Pamphl e t für K . " ) . The Hacks p i e c e i s a
b r i l l i a n t a c e r b i c t o u r de f o r c e worthy o f
F r i e d r i c h S c h l e g e l h i m s e l f , whom Hacks
e x c o r i a t e s as the f o u n t a i n h e a d of a l l
German Romantic i d i o c y . I t i s the only
t h o r o u g h l y n e g a t i v e (and d a t e d , one-sided)
view i n the e n t i r e c o l l e c t i o n .
What makes the Kunert p i e c e p a r t i c u l a r l y
and p o i g n a n t l y f a s c i n a t i n g i n the awareness t h a t he i s d e a l i n g as much w i t h h i s
own e x i s t e n t i a l c h o i c e s as w i t h K l e i s t ' s .
The s a r d o n i c a l l y ambiguous t i t l e "Pamphlet
für K." i s perhaps the most e l o q u e n t p l e a
i n the e n t i r e c o l l e c t i o n f o r " r e h a b i l i t a t i n g " those areas of e x i s t e n c e examined by
K l e i s t and the Romantics as w e l l as by
t h e i r post-Romantic progeny (Büchner and
K a f k a , among o t h e r s ) .
K u n e r t c i t e s an " o f f i c i a l " d e s c r i p t i o n o f
K l e i s t i n Das L e x i k o n d e u t s c h s p r a c h i g e r
S c h r i f t s t e l l e r (VEB B i b l i o g r a p h i s c h e s
I n s t i t u t L e i p z i g , 1972) p o r t r a y i n g him as
c o n f u s e d , b o r d e r i n g on the p a t h o l o g i c a l ,
Published by New Prairie Press, 1980
Y e s , Humpty Dumpty was r i g h t . A word
means j u s t what i t s master chooses i t t o
mean, n e i t h e r more nor l e s s . T h e r e f o r e he
had no t r o u b l e e x p l a i n i n g o r r e p e a t i n g
p o e t r y . B u t , o f c o u r s e , we sympathize
w i t h A l i c e because i t a l l seems " u n s a t i s f a c t o r y . " N e v e r t h e l e s s so i t i s , whether
i n the Looking-Glass-Wonderland o r i n
1984 or i n the two Germanies. P r o f e s s o r
Gumpel n e a t l y s u g g e s t s a l l t h i s i n her
s u b t i t l e : the language o f exemplarism
and e x p e r i m e n t a t i o n , f o r " c o n c r e t e "
p o e t r y i s exemplary i n the E a s t and
e x p e r i m e n t a l i n the West. O b v i o u s l y we
are c o n f r o n t i n g two d i v e r s e k i n d s o f
p o e t r y s a i l i n g under the same f l a g (the
t e r m , however, o c c u r s o n l y r a r e l y i n
E a s t German p u b l i c a t i o n s ) . The i d e o l o g i c a l s c h i s m i s c r y s t a l l i z e d here i n semant i c cleavage:
" I n the GDR the c r i t e r i o n
embodies an i m p e r a t i v e t o be 'exemplary'
and t h u s s t a y w i t h i n the c o n f i n e s o f a
s o c i o p o l i t i c a l s e t t i n g t h a t r e p r e s e n t s the
o b j e c t - w o r l d ; i n the FRG i t c o n s t i t u t e s a
commitment toward a c o l l e c t i v e experimenta l e n t e r p r i s e bent on c r e a t i n g i n i m i t a b l e
o b j e c t s t h r o u g h l i t e r a r y a r t and on probi n g the m a t e r i a l f o u n d a t i o n o f those
o b j e c t s " ( x i i f ) ; s e t t i n g bounds v s .
b r e a k i n g bounds, m a n i f e s t c o n t e n t v s .
new f o r m , c o n c r e t e n e s s v s . c o n c r e t i o n ,
d i a l o g i c a l v s . monological w r i t i n g ,
B e c h e r - B r e c h t v s . Benn, n a t i o n a l ( i s t i c )
v s . c o s m o p o l i t a n movement. The c a p i t a l i s t
p r o v e n i e n c e o f the one i s i d e n t i f i e d but
P r o f e s s o r Gumpel s h r i n k s from r e c a l l i n g
echoes o f S t a l i n i s m and H a z i i s m i n the
o t h e r — the f a m i l i a r paradox of one
s o c i e t y shaped by r e v o l u t i o n a r y p o l i t i c s
engaged i n c o n s e r v a t i v e a e s t h e t i c s and
another s o c i e t y w i t h c o n s e r v a t i v e p o l i t i c s
bursting with r a d i c a l a e s t h e t i c s .
1
20
Adieu bis bald, Reisebriefe. -By Richard
GDR Bulletin, Vol. 6 [1980], Iss.C3,h rArt.
i s20t . B e r l i n und Weimar: Aufbau-Verlag.
1979.
213 pages.. 8,20.-'M.
The study i t s e l f has a concrete structure:
two introductory chapters ( P a r t i t i o n :
Two
Richard Christ loves to travel alone. He
P o l i t i c a l E n t i t i e s and Two Language Comexperiences h i s travels by himself, not
munities?; The Background: Exemplarism
with others or with someone he can't avoid.
and Experimentation) and two concluding
The profession of writer implies^ however,
sections (The Wider Tradition: Teleoexchange; the exchange of ideas with othr-rs.
l o g i c a l Humanism and Creative Zest;
Travel l e t t e r s (Reisebriefe) f u l f i l l this
C o l l e c t i v e Concretism: Representative
need. The unknown becomes clear through
Anthologies and I n v i t a t i o n a l Anthologies)
c orrespond enc es.
which flank the s o l i d core: The Concrete
In l e t t e r s to his publisher, a f r i e n d , hi 1
Poem. Chapters are contrastive. The
daughter and his former teacher, Christ
GDR section, for example, i s a look at
relates his travel impressions of India,
l y r i c a l verse i n general from Bobrowski
the USSR, A u s t r i a , the FR6 and Slovakia.
to Gerlach, from sonnet to ballad to ode^
He also reveals much of h i s past, relates
a l l under the label dicentric genres
places v i s i t e d to h i s l i t e r a r y encounters
( i . e . discursive); the concrete poets of
and i n general arouses one's desire
the ERG under focus are Gomringer,
to someday v i s i t most of the places he
H e i s s e n b ü t t e l , Mon, and the Austrians
describes.
Jandl and Kriwet, with t h e i r ConstellaOne of the great advantages of t r a v e l
t i o n s , Combinations, Topographies,
i s learning to appreciate one's home. It
A r t i c u l a t i o n s , Verbal Landscapes and
i s d i f f i c u l t for Richard Christ to leave
Round Disks. This i s a l l sensibly oron a t r i p . His reverence for his homeganized and presented but offers l i t t l e
land offer*? the reader some interesting
that i s new (save the pages on F.Kriwet).
insights into l i f e i n the GDR by way af
The two concluding sections enlarge the
contrasts between the ERG, Austria and C u ^ .
Perspective and supplement the samples,
His homesickness i s expressed through the
properly showing the complex variety and
l e i t m o t i f of trying to find an acceptable
international dimension of (Western) conbeer i n the various countries.
crete poetry. One could indeed question
His l e t t e r s from India do not leave the
th^ rather arbitrary judgment "that only
reader with the desire to v i s i t that country.
the Concrete poetry of the GDR q u a l i f i e s
Christ encounters d i f f i c u l t y , sickness and
as l y r i c a l , because i t makes connections
misery. In his l e t t e r s from A u s t r i a , he
with t r a d i t i o n a l verse..." ( x i ) and
comments on a l l the new influences not
regret the modish jargon (e.g. superized
known at home: Karajan, Boulevardepress^,
i c o n ) . One might have wished that the
Gastarbeiter, Pornofilms, e t c . He enjoys
creative zest, devious wit, and l u c i d
the v i s i b l e history and art but deplores
gravity characteristic of (Western) Conthe student beggars.
crete poetry had been treated with less
In the USSR Christ enjoys the h o s p i t a l i t y
academic sobriety.
and marvels at the sport center at Medeo.
In Cuba he i s treated to baseball, Castro
Missing from the otherwise excellent
and the world of Hemingway , which he
bibliography i s Arp's On My Way (1948)
relives in vivid detail.
worth c i t i n g at least for i t s JourdianIn the Pfalz he, at l a s t , locates h i s
l i k e retrospective i n s i g h t : concrete art
acceptable beer and the memories of h i s
aims to transform the world. It aims to
childhood and b i r t h p l a c e . The reader
make existence more bearable... where
gains a good picture of h i s background.
concrete art enters, melancholy departs,
The f i n a l l e t t e r from Picst'any presents
dragging with i t i t s gray suitcases f u l l
a view of l i f e on a Kur. One wonders i f
of black s i g h s . It i s altogether f i t t i n g
the overwhelming nature of the Frankfurter
that Dieter Kessler's equally welcome
Buchmasse made.Christ ripe for the treatment.
study, Untersuchungen zur Konkreten
He leaves the Kur in; good health and i s
Dichtung, appeared across the sea also
ready to travel as soon as he overcomes
in 1976.
the paradox of Reiselust when at home
and Heimweh while t r a v e l i n g .
Karl S. Weimar
Although he does not discuss his l i t e r a r y
his reader's c u r i o s i t y about a very diverse
Brown University
reader's c u r i o s i t y about a very diverse
********
world.
http://newprairiepress.org/gdr/vol6/iss3/20
DOI: 10.4148/gdrb.v6i3.544
Albert Reynolds II
Rancho Cordova, C a l i f .
2