AK - Varia- 2002

2002

AK -- Varia

Der “Giftschrank”: Erotik, Sexualwissenschaft, Politik und Literatur; “Remota”, die weggesperrten Bücher der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek; eine Ausstellung der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek, München, 2. Oktober-17. Dezember 2002 [The “Poison Cabinet:” Erotica, Sexual Studies, Politics, and Literature; “Remota,” The Sequestered Books of the Bavarian State Library; An Exhibition of the Bavarian State Library, Munich, October 2d to December 17th, 2002]. Ed. Stephan Kellner. München: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, 2002. 224 p. ill. 30 cm. (Ausstellungskataloge -Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, 73). ISBN 3-9802700-9-2: EUR 14.80 (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, D-80328 München, fax [49 89] 28638 2050, e-mail: zotz@bsb-muenchen.de) [02-2-209]

The exhibition documented in this catalog presents a historical overview of printed materials in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, which at various times and for various reasons have been sequestered from the main collection. These materials, designated as “remota,” for “removed” or “remote” items, are housed in six groups, each having a different history and content.

Remota I, “Erotica Confiscated by Police or Judicial Authorities,” and Remota II, “Literature Dangerous to the Public Good and So-Called Sexual Research Literature,” consist of erotic literature published between 1920 and 1970, as well as scholarly sexual research and popular works of sex education and marital advice. Remota III, “Anti-National Socialist Literature,” includes foreign materials critical of National Socialism, which were carefully collected by the library during the Third Reich period. Remota IV, “Franz Krenner’s Lascivious Books,” contains sexual literature, including illustrated French erotica, collected by Bavarian finance official Franz von Krenner. The collection was acquired by the library in 1819, but has only been included in the general catalog since the 1960s. Remota V, “Only for Official Use,” was begun in the 1950s and continues to be maintained today for certain governmental and other materials not intended for unrestricted public use. Finally, Remota VI, “Withdrawn Between 1933 and 1945,” consists of ca. 5,500 titles of “undesirable” authors, which were originally part of the library’s general collection, but were separated during the National Socialist period.

This work is composed of brief introductory essays on each of the six groups, with selected illustrated examples of items from each. Additional essays treat various related subjects in more depth (e.g., French erotica of the Enlightenment, censorship in Germany, the treatment of prohibited literature in libraries during National Socialism). Despite its rather sensational cover (selected book spines behind wire fencing), this book provides a solidly constructed contribution to library history. [sh/jc]

Kinder- und Jugendliteratur 1933–1945: ein Handbuch [Juvenile Literature, 1933–1945: A Handbook]. Ed. Norbert Hopster, Petra Josting, and Joachim Neuhaus. Stuttgart; Weimar: Metzler. 27 cm. ISBN 3-476-01835-0 (set) [02-2-212]

Vol. 1. Bibliographischer Teil mit Registern [Bibliographic Section and Indexes]. 2001. xlv p. 2,306 col. ISBN 3-476-01836-9: EUR 214.90

In comparison with Metzler’s ongoing Handbuch zur Kinder- und Jugendliteratur (the sixth volume of which will cover 1900–1959), this work attempts to be more comprehensive, and will address thematic issues in the forthcoming second volume. Including Jewish as well as exiled authors (but excluding booklet series and picture books), this first volume lists 6,166 titles, giving for each the location of the copy examined. The years of the first and last publication of the book, its subject, and references to contemporary reviews are given. The bibliography comprises 60% of the work. The rest is dedicated to the publishing history of the various editions of the works cited, showing the continuity of titles before, during, and after 1933-1945; to numerous short-title indexes, e.g., of authors, illustrators, translators, corporate authors, titles, place of publication, publishers, series; and to a section on secondary literature. [sh/mrh]

German Children’s and Youth Literature in Exile 1933-1950: Biographies and Bibliographies. Zlata Fuss Phillips. München: Saur, 2001. 318 p. 25 cm. ISBN 3-598-11569-5: EUR 110.00 [02-2-213]

Except for two exhibition catalogs—Deutsches Exilarchiv 1933–1945 (Stuttgart, 1989) and Kinder- und Jugendliteratur im Exil 1933–1950 (Leipzig, 1995)—the subject of authors and illustrators of children’s books in exile from Nazi Germany has been largely ignored by scholars and bibliographers. This gap has now been filled by the bio-bibliographic English-language reference work under review. The complicated criteria for inclusion are met by a total of 101 writers and illustrators, of whom about 40% emigrated to the U.S. and 20% to Britain.

Entries are listed in one alphabetic sequence and divided into biographical sections (from half a page to a page each) and bibliographic sections (including brief summaries of the titles listed). A listing of secondary literature, a name index, and a title index conclude this excellent, highly-recommended work. [mmk/sl]

Übersetzte Literatur in deutschsprachigen Anthologien: eine Bibliographie [Translated Literature in German-Language Anthologies: A Bibliography]. Ed. Helga Eßmann and Fritz Paul. Stuttgart: Hiersemann. 28 cm. (Hiersemanns bibliographische Handbücher, 13). ISBN 3-7772-9719-4 (set) [02-1-005]

Part 4. Literarische Übersetzungsserien 1820–1910 [Literary Translation Series, 1820–1910]. Ed. Bernd Weitemeier and Fritz Paul.
Demi-Vol. 1. 2001. xxv, 640 p. ISBN 3-7772-0116-2: EUR 70.00
Demi-Vol. 2. 2001. 550 p. ISBN 3-7772-0117-0: EUR 64.00
Part 5. Anthologien mit französischen Dichtungen [Anthologies Containing French Works of Literature]. Ed. Angela Kuhk. 2002. xix, 218 p. ISBN 3-7772-0206-1: EUR 78.00

The first volume of this bibliography was thoroughly discussed in RREA 5:26. A second volume for translations from Russian and a third for translations from English followed. The fourth part is remarkable on two counts, first for its large size and second for its coverage: 253 “series” of literary translation that extend their scope beyond short prose and poetry to include novels and drama, though limited to the decades between 1820 and 1910. Selection criteria are spelled out in the introduction, so it’s quite clear what to expect—even if one might sometimes disagree with the reasons for exclusion. Important for research not only into literary history, but also into book and publishing history, is the fact that German-language authors are listed and indexed along with foreign authors from the series (of the 5,500 authors, slightly fewer than 3,000 are translated). The second half of part 4 consists entirely of indexes for authors; anonymous works; anthologies; translators and compilers; editors; places of publication; and publishers. Impressive pains were taken to fill in personal dates (easier for authors than for translators) and to provide original titles (largely successful). Even given the wealth of indexes, one still wishes for chronological access to authors by language; perhaps that can be included in a cumulative index planned to appear after the completion of the set.

The introduction and user tips for part five—anthologies of literary translations from French—offer complete information on content and format. The main section enumerates 236 anthologies containing works of at least three authors (the lone exception being those anthologies that include only texts of Baudelaire and Verlaine) published between 1829 and 1995. The total sum of French and Belgian authors is 766. (Given the page tally, there seems little substance to the argument that an expansion to other Francophone countries “would have burst the bounds of this publication.”) The small main section is made accessible by the following indexes: (1) translated authors (with life dates), including an alphabetical listing of original and translated titles, translators, and series numbers; (2) translations of 23 oft-translated authors with both title forms to be looked up in the author index; (3) translator index (without dates), listing authors translated and series numbers; (4) dual index of publishers and places of publication. [sh/rdh]

Next Section

Previous Section
Table of Contents