German Literature

Question 1

Weimar-era later Communist East German playwright of such works as The Threepenny Opera, where Mack the Knife marries Polly Peachum, Mother Courage and Her Children, about Anna Fierling’s experiences during the Thirty Years War, and Caucasian Chalk Circle about the aftermath of unrest in the Caucuses. Lesser known works include The Good Person of Schezuan.

Answer 1

Berthold Brecht

Question 2

Author of the Danzig Trilogy made up of The Tin Drum, Cat and Mouse, and Dog Years. The TIn Drum is the most famous one, surrounding the life of Oskar Matzerath. He is also known for his novel Crabwalk. As a member of the SPD, many of his works have a politically left-wing dimension.

Answer 2

Gunter Grass

Question 3

Author of works such as Steppenwolf about Henry Haller’s struggle to find meaning in his life, Siddhartha about the title man trying to come to a spiritual awakening in the time of the Buddha, and The Glass Bead Game.

Answer 3

Hermann Hesse

Question 4

In this Mann novel, Hans Castorp’s stay with his cousin Joachim Ziemmsenn in a Swiss Alps sanatorium is prolonged by illness.

Answer 4

The Magic Mountain

Question 5

This author wrote novels such as Death in Venice, where Gustav von Aschenbach becomes increasingly obsessed with the Polish boy Tadzio, and Buddenbrooks, about the decline of the title Hanesatic family from Lubeck over 4 generations. Lesser known works include Mario and the Magician.

Answer 5

Thomas Mann

Question 6

German poet of Letters to a Young Poet, Sonnets to Orpheus, and the Duino Elegies. Another famous work of his is Archaic Torso of Apollo, in which he calls Apollo’s eyes “ripening fruit.” He also wrote the poem “The Panther.”

Answer 6

Rainer Rilke