Les jeunes ecrivains allemands exiles (1933 1945). Analyse des conditions de la creation litteraire en exil

par PASCALE EBERHARD

Thèse de doctorat en Études germaniques

Sous la direction de Gilbert Badia.

Soutenue en 1989

à Paris 8 .

mots clés

Résumé

Une premiere partie est consacree a l'analyse des conditions de la creation litteraire en exil. Les archives d'une organisation de secours americaine, l'american guilde for german cultural freedom, sont a ce propos revelatrices des difficultes morales et materielles rencontrees par les ecrivains en herbe. S'ils se sont la plupart du temps essayes a la litterature avant de quitter leur pays, les jeunes ecrivains ne disposent d'aucune publication. Dans ces conditions, ils ont bien du mal en exil a faire reconnaitre leurs talents. La deuxieme partie de cette etude s'interesse aux motivations litteraires des jeunes ecrivains. L'exil a pu stimulerou, a l'inverse, tarir leur inspiration creatrice. De plus, le prix litteraire organise par l'american guild offre une occasion unique de savoir comment l'ancienne generation - parmi lesquels thomas mann et lion feuchtwanger - a apprecie l'oeuvre de ces jeunes talents. Leur jugement relatif a certains ecrivains apportent la preuve qu'ils les tenaient parfois pour une releve litteraire possible. Enfin, il sera montre quel a ete l'impact de ce prix sur la carriere des jeunes candidats. Il s'avere que la plupart ont interrompu leurs activites litteraires ou, tout au moins, n'ont pas marque l'histoire litteraire allemande des annees 1933 a aujourd'hui.

Résumé

The first part is dedicated to the analysis of the conditions of literary creation in exile. In this respect the archives of an american organization for support, called "american guild for german cultural freedom", provides revealing material and information about moral and material difficulties of the writers to be. Even if they had already entered the world of literary creation before having left their countries, these young writers had none of their works published. Under these condiditions they had considerable difficulties in making their talents known. The second part deals with the literary motivations of these young writers. The exile could stimulate or, on the contrary, dry up their literary creativity. A part from that, the competition for the literary prize of the american guild was a unique occasion to know the opinion of the older ration of writers - among them thomas mann and lion feuchtwangerabout the works of these young writers gives of that they considered them as the coming new generation in literature. As a conclusion the author shows the impact of this prize on the literary careers of the young candidates. In fact, most of them interrupted their literary activities or, at least, did not play an important role in the german literay history nof the years between 1933 to nowadays.