»Es brodelt und kafkat, es werfelt und kischt …«: Wandering through Prague German Literature

Multimedia lecture with reading

Franz Kafka has become a kind of pop figure – and not just in the commemorative year 2024, the 100th anniversary of his death. His serious face looks out from T-shirts and coffee cups, and Prague's tourism industry profits from his fame. He has even become a star on TikTok. But his works, as unique as they are, were not created in a vacuum. What is known about the tension between German, Czech and Jewish culture that produced a flourishing literary landscape in Prague between 1890 and 1939?

Based on the well-known Karl Kraus quote, Vera Schneider's lecture will first provide an overview of Prague's literary circles. Then Gustav Meyrink, Rainer Maria Rilke, Max Brod, Franz Kafka, Franz Werfel and Egon Erwin Kisch are presented in short individual portraits. Each portrait is followed by a sample from a work by the respective author, which is particularly suitable as a stimulus for further reading. The lecture concludes with an appreciation of the last German author from Prague, Lenka Reinerová.

In addition to animations and photographs, the lecture also includes original audio documents: the voices of Johannes Urzidil, Max Brod, Franz Werfel, Clara Westhoff and Lenka Reinerová can be heard.

Dr. Vera Schneider studied German and Theatre Studies and wrote her doctoral thesis on Prague German literature. She works as a research assistant at the German Cultural Forum for Eastern Europe.

Admission is free, but capacity is limited.

Reservations can be made at the Haus des Gastes Graal-Müritz:

T.: +49 38206 7030 (head office)

T. +49 38206 70327 (events)