The Oxford Critical and Cultural History of Modernist Magazines

This comprehensive study explores the impact of 'little magazines' on artistic modernism and the avant-garde in Europe from 1880 to 1940, featuring fifty-six essays that illuminate their cultural significance.

The Oxford Critical and Cultural History of Modernist Magazines offers a comprehensive exploration of the significance of 'little magazines' in shaping artistic modernism and the avant-garde across Europe from 1880 to 1940. As the third volume in a series dedicated to the cultural history of modernist magazines in Britain, North America, and Europe, this collection features fifty-six original essays that delve into the vital role these independent periodicals played in the development of modernist thought and aesthetics.

The volume examines nearly 300 magazines from various European regions, including France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, and Central and Eastern Europe. Each chapter is thoughtfully organized into six sections, with contextual introductions that highlight national and regional histories, as well as the unique magazine cultures of the time. This structure allows for a nuanced understanding of how these publications contributed to movements such as Symbolism, Expressionism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism, and Constructivism during a period marked by significant social and geopolitical upheaval.

Through an engaging combination of essays and visual materials, the book reveals the complex interplay between the material realities of magazine production—such as financial constraints, rivalries, and censorship—and the innovative spirit of collaboration that characterized the era. Ultimately, this collection underscores the importance of magazine culture in modernist studies, providing invaluable insights into the dynamics that fostered the emergence of the modernist avant-garde.