The Oxford companion to German literature

Hailed upon its publication a decade ago as "an impressive work" (Library Journal) and "a boon to dabblers in German literature who up to now have had to make do without a suitable frame of reference" (The Economist), The Oxford Companion to German Literature has now been thoroughly revised and updated. Mary Garland has added many new entries on contemporary authors and on literary trends in the German Democratic Republic, as well as entries on authors whose reputations have grown in the past ten years. In addition, Garland has brought up to date the entries for living authors and corrected bibliographical information given within entries. As in the earlier edition, the aim throughout has been to balance the needs of the academic user consulting the Companion for enlightenment on a specific topic with the needs of the general reader seeking a companionable introduction to the German literary achievement. Thus the Companion presents factual information in easily accessible, readable form. Within a single alphabetical sequence, the Companion features not only concise biographies of writers but also synopses of works; entries on literary movements and styles; accounts of important figures and events in history, politics, and the arts and sciences; and many entries relating to the intellectual, social, and political background of Germany. The Companion covers the whole span of literature in German from the earliest records of the eighth century to today and includes Austria and Switzerland within its scope.