Exploding Comets-Expressionist Stories

Expressionism developed in Germany before the First World War and was influential in all branches of art. It began as a literary movement in Berlin around 1909 and left behind a legacy that can be traced back to the 1920s. In addition to a naive ecstasy, a cynical skepticism, a Nietzschean individualism and the idealism of socialist brotherhood, elusive and indescribable expressionism also contained the horror of urban life, apocalyptic predictions about the collapse of civilization, the glorification of primitive instincts and an anti-liberal nihilism. Opposing the established authority of institutions such as the army, school, patriarchal family and empire, German expressionists sided with the poor, the oppressed, the mentally ill and the outcasts of society. Expressionists were against considering nature and society from an objective perspective and advocated reflecting the inner reality. They set themselves the lofty task of pioneering the creation of a new person, freed from the shackles of a new order and social tradition, and looking at the world with unlimited subjectivity. This new person needed a new language. They created a new language, free of clichés, pushing the limits of expression possibilities to convey their messages. In this small selection, you will find tasteful examples of expressionist literature, ranging from pioneering expressionists such as Franz Held, Oskar Panizza and Paul Scheerbart to well-known writers such as Gustav Meyrink, Franz Kafka and Robert Musil.

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Editor: Gamze Varım

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Number of Pages: 96

Size: 12.5 x 20.5

Number of Printings: 1st Edition

First Printing Year: 2018

Original Language: German