Metzler Lexicon of English-speaking authors

The Metzler Lexicon of English-Language Authors , edited by Eberhard Kreutzer and Ansgar Nünning , is a one-volume encyclopedia of English-language authors that contains 631 literary portraits of 220 article authors and was first published in 2002 by JB Metzler . A special edition was published in 2006.

Conception

In their foreword, both editors emphasize that with this volume they take into account the particularly great popularity of English-language literature in the German-speaking area, which is due not only to the intensive German-English literary relationships that go back centuries, but also to the intensive reception of many modern and postmodern authors .

In addition, many world-wide successes in English-language literature have resulted in the general awareness of the British literary scene as the most spectacular in Europe . They quote a statement from Der Spiegel : "This boom in British literature is primarily due to its diversity, in the juxtaposition of styles and themes, of the experimental and the almost classic, the juxtaposition of generations and cultures".

Since the literary scenes of the former colonies of the United Kingdom , such as Australia , Canada or India , also have a special place in the British literary scene, they attract worldwide attention and in turn give important impulses to English-language literature. These new English-language literatures ( New English Literatures or New Literatures in English ) range from Canada to the Caribbean , from Africa , Southeast Asia to Oceania with Australia and New Zealand . One indication of their importance is the fact that a number of non-English authors have received the Booker Prize since 1980 . Salman Rushdie , Thomas Keneally , JM Coetzee , Keri Hulme , Peter Carey , Michael Ondaatje , Arundhati Roy and Margaret Atwood are just a few examples of these writers who are received worldwide. The editors also emphasize the important position of the Irish literary scene since Jonathan Swift .

The lexicon is an important addition to the Metzler Lexicon of American Authors (2000), which was already published by the same publisher and was reserved exclusively for US authors.

The biographies compiled by literary scholars take into account the life data and circumstances of the authors, but concentrate even more on their works in the context of literary history and consider them from a social perspective. In addition to naming the most important titles in the original and in the German translation, each article is completed by bibliographical references to work editions or further literature.

The selection of literary portraits was based on the classical canon, which, however, was expanded through

the "inclusion of wrongly forgotten or neglected female authors, many of whom have only been rediscovered by feminist literary historiography in the last few decades [...]",
the inclusion of as many authors as possible from the field of post-colonial New English Literatures,
the "generous consideration" of younger contemporary authors, which one can hardly find in comparable lexicons.

In addition, the reference work is based on a fairly broad definition of literature, which also includes essay writing , travel literature , philosophy , autobiography and historiography .

The original list included 2,500 writers. In order to fit these into a clear framework, the way in which the authors were received in the German-speaking area (subject of research, translation, editions of works) were used as a basis.

Nevertheless, there could have been more than these 631 author portraits, with which the editors could not resist an unusual swipe at defaulting contributors: “The fact that a handful of authors are not represented in this lexicon is beyond our responsibility insofar as A few contributors let us down at the last moment despite numerous assurances (and admonitions on our part) and despite the great willingness of some contributors who jumped in at short notice, we were unable to close all the gaps ”.

The volume was dedicated to the Freiburg Anglicist Willi Erzgräber , who died after he brought in his last articles for this volume ( Geoffrey Chaucer , Thomas Hardy , Gerard Manley Hopkins , William Langland ).

The volume is rounded off by a further listing of literary histories and reference works, an employee directory and a personal register.

expenditure

Metzler Lexicon of English-speaking authors. 631 portraits - from the beginning to the present. Edited by Eberhard Kreutzer and Ansgar Nünning, Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2002, ISBN 3-476-01746-X , 666 pages (special edition Stuttgart / Weimar 2006, ISBN 978-3-476-02125-0 ).

Web links

Compilation of reviews on Perlentaucher.de

Individual evidence

↑ Annette Meyhöfer: The swing of the tough years. In: Der Spiegel . June 23, 1997, pp. 160-162.
^ Metzler Lexicon of English-speaking authors. 631 portraits - from the beginning to the present. Edited by Eberhard Kreutzer and Ansgar Nünning, Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2002, p. VI.
^ Metzler Lexicon of English-speaking authors. P. VII.

[1] Annette Meyhöfer: The swing of the tough years. In: Der Spiegel . June 23, 1997, pp. 160-162.

[2] Metzler Lexicon of English-speaking authors. 631 portraits - from the beginning to the present. Edited by Eberhard Kreutzer and Ansgar Nünning, Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2002, p. VI.

[3] Metzler Lexicon of English-speaking authors. P. VII.