Merkur
Eurozine
Merkur
2007-07-02
Summary of Merkur 7/2007
Three thematic circles intertwine in the July issue (Number 699): cultural history, the politics of history, and aesthetics.
In the footsteps of Montaigne and Nietzsche, Karl Heinz Bohrer explains why cultural criticism has become powerless and why independent thinking must not always be subversive. Gustav Seibt memorializes Prince Franz, the great philanthropist and creator of the famous gardens of Wörlitz; Graham Robb uncovers the most beautiful jewels from the Goncourt Brothers' treasure: their day books.
Siegfried Kohlhammer looks into how the Chinese government instrumentalizes the history of the Nanking Massacre politically, while Carsten A. Holz describes how Western experts of China are corrupted by the People's Republic's communist elite. Eight intellectuals debate whether apologizing for historic crimes is politically sensible.
Grey Gowrie tolls the bells in honor of the great poet W. H. Auden. Christophe Fricker introduces the New Formalist among the American poets. Martin Seel discusses the new aesthetic theories of "presence".
Finally, the ecology column and two intimate perspectives of Africa and America -- a stimulating cocktail of political and aesthetic reflection.