Politisches mit Moralischem untrennbar verknuepft. Zur Polenpolitik des Merkur (1947-1978)

Abstract

The paper analyses literary transfer of Polish literature to the journal Merkur: Deutsche Zeitschrift für europäisches Denken. The editorial archives of Merkur for the years 1947–1978 are stored in Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach. This primary source enables an exploration of connections between the selection of literary translations and West German debates on the relationships be- tween politics and literature. The analysis of the archival material pertaining to Polish literature is placed in a comparative context. The article proposes a detailed matrix of questions allowing a systematic description of journal poetics based on editorial archives. These include, among others, the selection and composition of individual texts, relationships between the texts proper and paratexts, as well as connections between the general programme of the journal and the structure of individual issues.