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A Dubious Past

Ernst Jünger and the Politics of Literature after Nazism

Elliot Y Neaman author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of California Press

Published:20th Aug '99

Should be back in stock very soon

A Dubious Past cover

"A Dubious Past" examines from a new perspective the legacy of Ernst Junger (1895-1998), one of the most fascinating figures in twentieth-century German intellectual life. From the time he burst onto the literary scene with "The Storms of Steel" in the early 1920s until he reached Olympian age in a reunited Germany, Junger's writings on a vast range of topics generated scores of controversies. In old age he became a cultural celebrity whose long life mirrored the tragic twists and turns of Germany's most difficult century. Elliot Neaman's study reflects an impressive investigation of published and unpublished material, including letters, interviews, and other media. Through his analysis of Junger's work and its reception over the years, he addresses central questions of German intellectual life, such as the postwar radical conservative interpretation of the Holocaust, divided memory, German identity, left and right critiques of civilization, and the political allegiances of the German and European political right. "A Dubious Past" reconceptualizes intellectual fascism as a sophisticated critique of liberal humanism and Marxism, one that should be seen as coherent and - for a surprising number of contemporary intellectuals - all too attractive.

ISBN: 9780520216280

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 30mm

Weight: 680g

329 pages