Description
Reviews
This cohesive, well-written, and overdue analysis examines the interconnections and intersections of Brecht's political aesthetics, Turkish theater, and Turkish-German literature . . . [and] is an invaluable asset to Brecht scholars, OEren scholars, OEzdamar scholars, and all those working in German studies, theater and performance studies, Turkish-German studies, and especially on relationships and intersections between Turkish and German literature. -- Britta Kallin * FEMINIST GERMAN STUDIES *
Gezen's rich and informative book provides deep insights into Turkish-German cultural history, as seen through the lens of Bertolt Brecht...[A] book that can pave the path for new directions in German Studies and for a more global understanding of Brecht's aesthetics. -- Vera Stegmann * BRECHT YEARBOOK *
[T]he broader significance of this book for German studies [is that] by reading the work of OEren and OEzdamar in the context of the Turkish Brecht reception and as a continued exchange in the realm of theater, Gezen seeks to shift 'our attention away from thinking about Turkish writers in Germany purely through the lens of labor migration' (106). As the quali?er 'purely' implies, Gezen thereby construes her study not as a rejection or downgrading of previous scholarship but, rightly, as a timely corrective to its dominant trajectory. -- Rob Burns * MONATSHEFTE *
[T]his valuable volume manages to do precisely what it sets out to: emphasizing the 'Turkish' in 'Turkish-German' while also painting a more comprehensive picture of OEren and OEzdamar within their respective German communities and providing a far more detailed account of the cultural exchange and interchange . . . between Turkey and Germany in the second half of the twentieth century. . . [A]n indispensable volume for anybody researching Turkish-German theater or literature in this period. * STUDIES IN 20TH- and 21ST-CENTURY LITERATURE *
[A]n original, comprehensive, inclusive, and engaging contribution. . . . By drawing on original archival research and convincing close readings through a Brechtian lens, Gezen offers a whole new framework for transcultural and transnational literary analysis both within German studies and beyond. -- Steffen Kaupp * GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW *
[P]ersuasively foregrounds the importance of theatre for our understanding of Turkish-German connections, and the work of OEren and OEzdamar in particular. . . . [T]his book will be of interest to scholars and students working on Brecht's reception or on (Turkish-)German theatre and literature, and Gezen's translations and clear outline of Turkish politics make the . . . material under discussion accessible both to the majority of Germanists, who cannot read Turkish, and to English-speakers interested in transnational Theatre Studies. -- Joseph Twist * MODERN LANGUAGE REVIEW *
This incisive study demonstrates that just as Turkish-German encounters prove surprisingly key to expanding our grasp of Brechtian theater as practiced and theorized in cold-war Germany, Brechtian theater also proves key to revising our understanding of the aesthetics and history of Turkish-German culture in and beyond Germany. Ela E. Gezen dramatically rewrites the foundational literary history of an era, with stunning consequences for literary analysis today. - -- Leslie A. Adelson, Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of German Studies, Cornell University
Gezen's study demonstrates that the theater is a particularly productive lens through which to view Turkish-German (cultural) interchange. -- Paula Hanssen * COLLOQUIA GERMANICA *
Book Information
ISBN 9781640140240
Author Ela Ela Gezen
Format Hardback
Page Count 174
Imprint Camden House Inc
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd