Adolf Muschg at the Leipzig Book Fair | © Universität Jena
For generations of readers, the Brunnen (Wellspring) was their first encounter with poetry: 1,500 German poems from the Middle Ages to the present, gathered together for the first time by Ludwig Reiners, whose 1955 anthology reflects a thematic structure. Dirk von Petersdorff has now given the volume a modern-day make-over.
“We wanted a more diverse array of voices, perspectives and convictions. We wanted more female writers to be represented. More song lyrics… Above all, we wanted the poems to address our present circumstances, to speak to us directly in a fresh voice. Even older poetry can do this when it is rediscovered.” (Dirk von Petersdorff). Youth and old age, love and politics, consolation and death, homesickness and wanderlust, faith and doubt, interspersed with plenty of reasons to smile – all traced in a historical arc from Walther von der Vogelweide to Element of Crime. Publisher Dirk von Petersdorff and literary critic Sandra Kegel provide glimpses of the anthology’s rich spectrum of hues, while the voice of actor Hanns Zischler injects vocal iridescence into the verses.
Moderation: Sandra Kegel (FAZ)
Poems will be read by: Hanns Zischler
Dirk von Petersdorff (1966) is a lyricist and novelist who teaches German philology at the University of Jena. His most recent publication is the novella Gewittergäste (Storm Guests; C.H. Beck 2022).
Sandra Kegel (1970) is head of the culture section at respected German daily Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung (FAZ).
Hanns Zischler (1947) is an actor, dramaturge, director, photographer, translator, publisher and essayist.
In cooperation with the C.H. Beck publishing house
Tickets: 8 euros/6 euros (discount rate). Lyrik Kabinett members receive free admission. For more information, please visit the Lyrik Kabinett website. The event will be held in German.
LMU and the Lyrik Kabinett have worked together very intensively for over 30 years. The more than 70,000 works subsumed under the Lyrik Kabinett Foundation are available via OPAC to everyone related to LMU. Numerous events provide a fascinating insight into the current poetic landscape.