Department of Germanic Studies

Instructor: Professor Müller-Tamm

Topic: Poetry now!

In the "Jahrbuch der Lyrik 2018/Yearbook of Poetry 2018", the poet and critic Nico Bleutge speaks of the "lyric boom" in German literature. A new generation has indeed received a remarkable amount of public and critic attention in recent years. In this course, we will explore this rich and varied lyric scene that is based on a growing network of literary institutions devoted especially to poetry (publishing houses, Literaturhäuser, event series, online platforms, bookstores, magazines, literary prizes).

We will study major trends in contemporary German poetry: such as the revival of nature poetry in the context of ecocriticism (see the anthology ¿Lyrik im Anthropozän¿, ed. by Anja Bayer, Daniela Seel, 2016), the increasing importance of multilingualism, and the attraction of theory and of ¿poetic thinking¿ (Steffen Popp). Readings include poems by Hannes Bajohr, Marcel Beyer, Anne Cotten, Monika Rinck, Jan Wagner, Uljana Wolf, and others. (In German)