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

[Bertil Haggman <bertil.haggman@helsingborg.se>]

John King wrote:
> 
> >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.

Thanks for the alternatives. Yes, there are certainly a number of
German writers who could suite SPD. But is it necessary for an author
to be on the ballot to be influental ?

Best wishes

Bertil Haggman
bertil.haggman@helsingborg.se