Walter Kempowskis Tagebücher

An overview of recent research on the work and life of Walter Kempowski (1929-2007) strongly suggests a particular impression: our understanding of this writer, his self-conception and his work, as well as his position within the context of literary modernity after 1945 and the intellectual milieu of the Federal Republic, seems far from settled. One of the most important mediums that can aid in further approaching this multifaceted yet still underrecognized author is his extensive diary oeuvre, which, alongside his novels and text collages, forms the "third pillar" of his complete works. The contributions in this volume examine Kempowski's diary from three perspectives: first, as an individual self-expression of the poet and person Walter Kempowski in his time; second, as a "poetic artifact," focusing on its composition.