Abstract
Unlike the German novels of World War I, which have been analyzed rather thoroughly in a number of studies, including book-length critiques by J . Knight Bostock, Herbert Cysarz, William Karl Pfeiler, and Hermann Pongs, the many German novels of World War II have received relatively little critical attention; and the secondary literature which does exist reveals considerable difference of opinion concerning which work is most significant. Werner Welzig describes Gerd Gaiser's Die sterbende Jagd as "der packendste und zugleich zarteste Kriegsroman ... den die deutsche Literatur dieses Jahrhunderts bis he ute hervorgebracht hat." Franz Lennartz admires Gert Ledig's Die Stalinorgel, "den die Kritik fast einstimmig als den besten Roman tiber diese Epoche einstufte." Franz Schonauer is impressed by Peter Bamm's Die unsichtbare Flagge, although he feels that Felix Hartlaub's Von unten gesehen is perhaps the best representation of the war. Hermann Pongs praises Theodor Plievier's Stalingrad, which Fritz Martini regards as "das bisher eindringlichste Bild des zweiten Weltkrieges," but which Reinhart Baumgart feels reveals "wenig mehr … als Kinoweisheit."
Recommended Citation
Nahrgang, W. Lee
(1979)
"What is the Most Significant German Novel of World War II?","
University of Dayton Review: Vol. 13:
No.
3, Article 11.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/udr/vol13/iss3/11
