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‘Ijoma Mangold’s The German Crocodile: Teaching a New Black German Memoir’

By Rory Hanna, University of Sheffield 2021 saw the release of an English translation of Ijoma Mangold’s 2017 autobiography, Das deutsche Krokodil. Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp's rendering introduces to new audiences one of the most well-known mixed-race intellectuals in the German literary sphere.[1] Mangold is a cultural correspondent for the newspaper Die Zeit and features on the book review TV show, Lesenswert … Continue reading ‘Ijoma Mangold’s The German Crocodile: Teaching a New Black German Memoir’

Josh Blog

“Why not?” Exploring sex & gender history through N.O. Body’s memoirs”

Dr Ina Linge is Lecturer in German at the University of Exeter, where she is also Co-director of the interdisciplinary Sexual Knowledge Unit. I started out as a new Lecturer in German in June 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. It has certainly been a challenging and exhausting time to develop new modules and … Continue reading “Why not?” Exploring sex & gender history through N.O. Body’s memoirs”

Tom 1900-1945, Bibliographic, German Outside Germany, Medieval, Primary, Race/Ethnicity

Du Bois, W. E. B. Dark Princess (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014).

Du Bois's 1928 novel Dark Princess was written in English but its medievalist re-imagining of a court romance is set in Berlin, where its African American protagonist falls in love with a princess who introduces him to a world of people of colour in positions of power and influence. Useful for courses on medievalisms or … Continue reading Du Bois, W. E. B. Dark Princess (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014).

Tom Bibliographic, Gender, Medieval, Primary

Unknown, Die Winsbeckin (early 13th century)

Die Winsbeckin is a didactic text inspired by an earlier text Der Winsbecke, a dialogue between father and son, and this version gives a dialogue in verse form between mother and daughter. The authorship is unknown, and the gender of the author is unknown (see Albrecht Classen's The Power of a Woman's Voice), but Ann … Continue reading Unknown, Die Winsbeckin (early 13th century)

Tom Bibliographic, Gender, German Outside Germany, Medieval, Multilingualism, Primary, Religion

Johanna Lanczkowski (ed.), Mystische Texte des Mittelalters (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1999).

This edition in modern German translation compiles some of the most important mystical writings of the medieval period, originally written in Latin and in Germanic languages, and including work by significant women writers. The works show the diversity of medieval Christian mysticism, including writers accused of heresy, demonstrate the complexity of medieval authorship and the … Continue reading Johanna Lanczkowski (ed.), Mystische Texte des Mittelalters (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1999).

Tom Bibliographic, Gender, Medieval, Multilingualism, Primary, Religion

Mechthild von Magdeburg, Das fließende Licht der Gottheit: Auswahl (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2008).

Mechthild of Magdeburg (c. 1207-1282) was one of the most important writers and mystics of thirteenth-century Germany. Her work attracted significant attention in her lifetime and since, with Heinrich of Halle collecting her best known works into the seven-volume Das fließende Licht der Gottheit. The original Middle Low German writing has been lost, but numerous … Continue reading Mechthild von Magdeburg, Das fließende Licht der Gottheit: Auswahl (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2008).

Tom Bibliographic, Gender, Medieval, Multilingualism, Primary, Religion

Elisabeth von Schönau, Werke (Paderborn: Schöningh, 2006)

First full edition in German of the works of Elisabeth of Schönau (1129-1164), a Benedictine ascetic and visionary, who corresponded with Hildegard of Bingen and whose visions were recorded in Latin. The writings raise important questions about gender and authorship, as many of her visions seem to have been written down by her brother Egbert. … Continue reading Elisabeth von Schönau, Werke (Paderborn: Schöningh, 2006)

Tom Bibliographic, Gender, Medieval, Multilingualism, Primary, Religion

Hrotsvitha von Gandersheim, Dulcitius. Abraham (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2005)

Hrotsvitha was one of the first women writers in German-speaking Europe whose works survive today. These two dramas deal with a range of Christian and Biblical topics. Dulcitius depicts the martyrdom of the early medieval women saints, Agape, Chione and Irene, and explores ideas of chastity and piety. The easily available Reclam version is a … Continue reading Hrotsvitha von Gandersheim, Dulcitius. Abraham (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2005)