Selected Poems and Prose

These selections from the esteemed career of Gottfried Benn€"one of the most significant German poets of the 20th century€"showcase his early, shockingly graphic depictions of human suffering and degradation, as well as the isolation and fragmentation of the human being adrift in a nihilistic world found in his later work. Translator David Paisey presents two selections, of verse and prose respectively, from Benn€s large oeuvre, which are ordered chronologically to enable readers to perceive the developments of Benn€s art and thought. In an important biographical introduction, Paisey tackles the difficult question of Benn€s compliance with the Nazi regime and its impact on his life and work.