-----Original Message----- From: Guenter Rebing [SMTP:Rebing@compuserve.com] Sent: Saturday, February 14, 1998 7:57 AM To: EJ List Subject: Eumeswil or Die Schere? Though I agree that Eumeswil is a highly fascinating book I am not convinced either whether this work would be the right choice for a collective enterprise. The book is too long, the text selections to be made cannot be but subjective, and who on the list would like to assume the role of master censor? Since there seems to be as much support for Eumeswil as Die Schere I would like to put in one more plug for my favorite. As I mentioned, the Anarch is what most interests me about Eumeswil. My suggestion would be to use go through the book reading and discussing all the phrases in which the Anarch is mentioned. I have actually compiled a complete list of all these passages. A fascinating, organic whole emerges. Such a format would not be subjective and would not require any master censor. More over, we would be directly dealing with what I at least believe is Junger's most valuable contribution to the world of human beings. Whatever the final decision, I would would love to pursue the Anarch readings in a separate forum with whoever is interested. Gerd? On the other hand, I am well aware that Die Schere can be a daunting text even for native speakers of German. But this is precisely what made me propose this little book in the hope that our discussions would help towards a better understanding of it. And isn't this list with its impressive mix of lingustic backgrounds extremely well equipped to tackle this task? If some members say, and I agree with them, an English translation would be an absolute prerequisite - why don't we take this as an additional challenge? My own experience with literary translation (from English into German) is that this job forces you relentlessly to understand what your author really meant, and wherever you don't understand you are forced to formulate your questions and doubts. And for such questions and doubts the Jünger list could be an excellent forum, as I believe. It could also be an excellent reservoir from which to recruit a small team of English and German natives that would, in cooperation via e-mail, translate one section from Die Schere at a time and then publish it from time to time on the list together with the original text and with those questions and doubts which they were unable to resolve. I am sure that often such questions might be clarified by referring to passages in other works of EJ. Here the collective erudition of the list should be invaluable. To get things moving I volunteer to find out if Klett, the copyright owner, might be willing to grant permission to use the text in this way, morever to distribute it to the translation team. But certainly a native German would be unfit to produce anything but a rough first draft of a translation, and so I would need the cooperation of some who are by birth more qualified than myself. I would certainly like to be involved. I may be able to help more with the practicalities of the translation/publication than the translation itself. Over the years the Association Eumeswil has established a cooperative relationship with Klett-Cotta. I have not had much to do with this side of things recently but I know that the Florentine chapter keeps in cIose contact with them and has discussed translation and publication rights for Junger's books in Italy. I will get an update from Italy and inform you if there are any agreements or information which may work constructively with your idea. A proposito, c'è qualche Italiano sulla lista in grado di fare una traduzione di un libro di Junger in Italiano? Umberto? Who out there would like to go along? Günter Rebing Rebing@compuserve.com
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