Focus Fall 1996.tif


201 

Contributors 

ALEXANDER GROSS studied German literature, Political Science and 
Psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Miinchen. He re­
ceived his Magtsler A rtilfm in 1995. His Magisterarbell dealt with the 
impacl of commu ni sm on the life and work of Klaus M:mn. Gross's 
research interests are in the area of exile literaturc. Gross is currently 
en rolled in the Allballswdiengang Bllchwissenschaft. 

JEFFREY D. TODD holds a BA in History from Al>bury College in 
Kentucky. a Magistere diploma from the Univers ite de Paris-IV 
(Sorbonne) and tWO Master's degrees from the Uni versity of Cincin­
nati, one in French and another in Ge rman. He is no\\ ABD in the 
German Department of the University of Cincinnati. A Taft Gradu­
ate Fellow, Jeffrey is presently writing d dissertation on the O<lnte 
translations of Stefan George. He specializes in German literary cul­
ture from 1850 to 1970, and is very interested in literary relations 
between Germany, France and Italy during this period. 

RALF E. WERNER is currendy studying German iiter,llure and lin­
guistics as well as History at thc Universitat Hamburg. His research 
lnteresls are in the field of post·war literature, panlcubrly Ingeborg 
Bachmann, literary criticism and literary theory. Another topic tilJ.t 
is of interest to him is Goethe's Faust. He is also fascinatcd by the 
history of media and press. In addition to his studies, Wcrner wOi-kS 

as a freelance writer for various newspapers. He has fulfilled almost 
all of the requirements regarding classwork and is planning on writ­
ing his Magtsterarbell soon. 

PETER J. YANG earned his SA and MA in German from the Beijing 
Foreign Studies Umversity, China. He completed his Ph.D. this fall 
at the University of Utah, Sail Lake City. His dissertati on is a com­
parison between Brecht's and Li Xingd:lO's Chalk Cn-c!e plays. Yang 
is curre11l ly Assistant Professor of German, Chinese and Compara­
tive Literature at the Case \'<'estern Reserve University in Cleveland , 
Ohio. H is research interests include contemporary Gernl:m literature, 
comparat ive theater studies, Bertolt Brecht , Ma."{ Frisch and Fnedrich 
Diirrenman. 



202 

Announ cements 

G RADUATE STU D ENT CONFERENCES 

February 21-22, 1997. University o f North Carolina at Chapel H ill . 
The Eigth Annual Graduate Student Conference will focus on Ger­
man hCemtllre, wilura/ hIStory and lmguistlcs . AbstraclS no later than 
December I, 1996. For more information contact S.llly Hatch Gray, 
Dept. of Germ. Lang., University of Nonh Carolina al Chape i l lill , 
438 D,y H,1l CBN3 160, Ch'p,l H;Il, NC 27599-3160. 

Ma rch 21 -22 , 1997. Un iversity of Pen nsylvan ia. The Third Annua l 
Graduate Student Conference lnCe7secllOns 1997 will focus on IIlSual 
AIU and Gennan Lueratllre. Abstracts no later than January 10, 1997. 
For more information contact SCOlt Shrake, 7~S Williams H all, Phila­
delph;', PA 19104. Phon, (215) 898-7332, FAX (215) 573-7794. 

Apr il 1'1-1 3, 1997. Yale Uni versity. The Eigth Annual Graduate Stu­
dem Conference will focus on 1. Heme, 2. Images of Home and Abroad, 
J. Public and PYlvate Spheres, -to The AeslheCics of Exlremes and 5. Open 
Topic. Abstracts no later than January 13, 1997. For more informa­
tion contact Helen Ferstenberg, Yale University, Dept. of Germ. Lang. 
& Lit., Box 2082 10, New H aven, CT 06520-82 10. Phone (103) ·H2-
0788, FAX (203) 432-8 16 •. 

April 25-27, 1997. Uni versity of Washingto n, Seattle. T he FOUl1. h 
Annual Gmduate Student Romanticism Conference will foc lIs on 
Lellers afSplrlt.- The Texts and CorHeXIS of Romanticmn. Abstracts no 
Iatc r than December 16, 1996. For more info rmat ion contact Mary­
Kelly Persyn, English Depanmcm, Box 35-1330, U niversity of Wash­
ington, Seattle, WA 98 195-4330. 

October 10- t I, 1997. Uni versity o f C incinnati. The Second Annual 
Graduate Studem Conference will focus on various topics such as I. 
n)e Other, 2. Women, 3. Jews and Hohxausc, 4. Lessmg, 5. (Ex) CDR, 
6. Depiction 0/ U.S. in Gemlan-Ianguage litera lure, 7. lOOe/] BiTlhday of 
A nnette wn Drosle-HtilshofJ and 8. Open TopiC. Abstracts no later than 

203 

March I, 1997. For more information conUCl FoC/u on Lllcralllr, 
Conference Coordinator, Dept. of Germ.lnic Lang. & Lil., Unl\'er­
sity of C inci nnat i, Cincinn:l1 i, O H 45221-0372. Phone (5\3) 556-2755, 
FAX (5JJ) 556- 199 1. 

CALL FOR REVI EWERS 

The purpose of the book review section is to illl roduce our re.ld­
ership to primary works or literalUre published wllhlll the bst three 
yC.lrs. Our aim is not to pass critical judgment on .\ PJ.rl!Cl~l.tr work. 
Instead we seek to discuss the work thcmrlt1c.llly ,lI1d styhStlC:llly and, 
w hen possible, to contexlualize the work withi n the au thor's oeuv re 
o r its respective genre. We have the cooperation of Ill.ljor German, 
Austrian, and Swiss publishers, and can provide review copies. 

Although we will gladly consider unsolicited book reviews, we 
prefer to operate from a pool of known reviewers. If YOll .lre inter­
ested in reviewing books for Focus 011 LilerallJr, pledse send LIS the 
following information: 

Name and Address: 
Institution: 
Field(s) of Expertise: 
Are you currend y rese;1rchi ng or writing an MA Thesis or PhD Dis­
sertation? If so, what is your topic? 
Your projected d.lte of degree completion: 
Do you know of a work which Foclls on Lilemlllr :.hould review? 

CO NT EST 

T he German-Amer ican Studies P rog ram of t he Univers ity of 
C incinnati is sponsoring an annual competition for .ll1icles on any 
topic concern ing Gerlllan ~Amerj canli l c rat\l re . Each year.the J l~thor 
o f lhe best article will receive a prize of S100, and t he article wil l be 
published in the co rresponding volume of Focus 011 Literalll r. Articles 
should conform to regular submission gU ldeltnes. For further 
in formation, contact the editOrs of FoClls 011 Literarur, Department of 
Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Cincinnati, 
Cincinnati O H 45221-0372. 



204 

SUBMISSIONS REQUESTED 

DON'T u:T YOUR SCIIOL-\R!.Y E .... FORTS LANGUISII IN A DESK DRAWER! 

DuSt off your old seminar papers, condense your t-. IA thesis, or re­
work that chapter that doesn' t fi t in your dissertation into a pub lica­
tion-quality manuscript and send il to Fows on Lileratlly. 

Submissions demonstrating ori ginal scholarsh ip in any area of 
German-language literature-from feminist criticism to camp lit to 

film studies to whatever- will be considered for publication. We also 
publish interviews with German-speaking wrilers. 

Please submit pape rs m trip lic:ue . Manuscripts should be ca, 10-
10 pages in length (interviews 4-8 pages), double spaced, and they 
should follow the MLA Style Manual guidelines. The manuscript 
should he prepared so that it can be read anonymously. 

Focus on Lileralllr appears in Spring and Fall, but submissions are 
accepted at any time. Inquiries and submissions should be made to the 
follow i.ng address. 

Focm on Literatur, Dept. of Germanic Langs. & Lits. 
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221-0372. 

CALL FO R ESSAYS 

rn addition to being a fOnlm for graduate student research on literary 
topics, Focus on Literatllr also seeks to engage readers in constructive 
dialogue on current issues in German studies, with particular refer· 
ence to t he effect recent trends have on t he graduate students who 
represent the future of the profession. The average graduate student 
spends four to seven years post· BA earning rhe doctoral degree, yet 
during this time issues facing these students are usually addressed only 
within their own universities or individual departments at best. Aside 
from selected sessions at the MLA Convemion, there are essentially 
no avenues for intercollegiate discuss ion amongst students. To help 
rill this communication gap, Focus on Lileralltr welcomes editorials 
that will encour.tge dialogue between students ac ross North Ame rica 
and the German·speaking world. Essays addressing topics of concern 
should be well argued, thought provoking, and of general interest to 
fellow students. Submissions shou ld be no more than three pages in 
length, double spaced. 

Focus on Literatur 
a joumal for German-language lilemlUre 

SUBSCRIPTIONS 
Two issues per yea r (Spr ing and Fall) 

Check ap propriate box: 

o $15 Indi viduals 

o $22 Inst itut ions 

o Subscribers o utside North America add $5 for 
additional postage 

o Send next single issue for $8 

Tota l Enclosed: ___ _ __ _ 

Name: --------------------
Address: ------------------------

E-mail : _ ______ ________ _ 

All o rders should be made payable (in US currency) lO: 

Focus on Lileralur 
Dept. of German ic Languages & Literacures 
U ni versity of C incin nati 
C incinnati O H 45221·0372 / USA 
Tel. (5 13) 556-2755 Fax. (513) 556-1991