Exile Centre Seminar: "Collections in exile: from Die Sammlung to the frame narrative novel"

Description

The loss of physical collections – notably books – contrasted in exile with a notion of collecting which was expressed in various textual forms. The talk explores the range of meanings in the title of Klaus Mann's prominent but short-lived journal, Die Sammlung, from 'sammeln' (to collect) to 'sich sammeln', suggestive of gathering inner strength. Steffan Davies considers the concept of collecting in anthologies, including Walter Benjamin's Deutsche Menschen, before turning to three literary works in which various forms of collecting play a decisive part: Walter Mehring's Die verlorene Bibliothek, Veza Canetti's Die Schildkröten, and Alfred Döblin's Hamlet. In his talk he explores how far the importance of 'Sammlung' to Mann can be said to extend as a principle, and an aesthetic principle, to exile as a whole. 

Period	27 Nov 2024
Held at	Institute for Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS), United Kingdom
Degree of Recognition	National