Re: Is Juenger the Politically Most Influental Author in Germany ?

[fs6y097@public.uni-hamburg.de (John King)]

>Vieles deutet darauf hin, dass es nicht zuletzt die "Strahlungen" dieser
>100jaehrigen Vaterfigur sind, aus denen das Duo Kohl/Waigel seine
>Europapolitik speist. Beiden erscheint Europa inzwischen als
>logische Konsequenz ihres Lebenswerkes."

That seems to make the point rather succinctly, IMHO. EJ is an example to
German conservatives of how the EU can be seen as a natural turn away from
the catastrophic path of extreme nationalism whilst retaining the cultural
roots of the past, without rejecting Germanness. It's a point made by Nevin
- EJ is so controversial precisely because he is so old, thus providing a
very clear link to the Germany before Hitler - which makes him very
uncomfortable for a lot of people.

>Ernst Juenger, state author ? (at least as long as CDU/CSU rules).

Is EJ the most politically influential author in Germany today? I doubt it
somehow. Right now Siegfried Lenz is on the SPD adverts for the
Bürgerschaftswahl here in Hamburg. I can't see that happening with Ernst
Jünger (probably not Ole von Beust's cup of tea :-). And I don't think
Waigel went to see EJ to get advice on how to balance a budget and reduce
unemployment - or else he got very bad advice :-)

More seriously, a state author? Maybe - he's certainly won enough official
recognition. (BTW, Adulbarr - there isn't a German Poet Laureate. What would
s/he do? Write poems for Roman Herzog's birthday :-) No, just an author who
the conservatives like to associate with? And let's not forget that Joscha
Fischer (of the Greens) is an attentive (and critical) reader of Jünger.

Best wishes from HH,

John King