Weltanschauliche Orientierungsversuche im Exil / New Orientations of World View in Exile ed. by Reinhard Andress (review)

This volume presents the revised and expanded papers from the North American Society for Exile Studies conference held at Saint Louis University in October 2008, and is dedicated to the late Wulf Koepke. Focused on “new orientations” of exile studies, the volume takes a broad view of exile that ranges from exile concepts in the Middle Ages to the very specific relationship of St. Louis to German exiles. The book is organized thematically and covers the topics: exile in the Middle Ages; new orientations in philosophy and religion; new orientations in writing; new political and cultural orientations in South America, France, the USA, Germany and China, and exile in St. Louis. It concludes with a personal reflection from Guy Stern, who spent two years at Saint Louis University some 65 years prior.

Otto Eberhardt’s excursus on exile in the Middle Ages outlines ways in which medieval heroes experienced involuntary exile (in the form of banishment) as well as voluntary exile (practiced by monks and students). Evelyn Meyer focuses specifically on Parzival’s grail quest as an example of exile in the Middle Ages. The section on philosophy and religion contains four essays. Wulf Koepke analyzes Ludwig Marcuse’s Ignatius von Loyola. Ein Soldat der Kirche. Regina Weber focuses on Raymond Klibansky’s reorientation in exile and his promotion of international understanding through tolerance. Whereas it is widely accepted that philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich’s work was not motivated by exile experiences, Johannes F. Evelein presents evidence from Tillich’s letters, diaries, speeches and travel reports that demonstrate that exile did have a strong influence on him. Jörg Thunecke examines Karl Jakob Hirsch’s Heimkehr zu Gott, a semifictitious novel of Hirsch’s conversion to Christianity.

The section on reorientation through writing presents essays on Lion Feuchtwanger, Felix Pollak, and Nelly Sachs. South America served as a safe haven for many exiles from Nazism. Helga Schreckenberger examines the formative influence that his adolescent exile to Bolivia had on the distinguished scholar Egon Schwarz. Marlen Eckl examines the ways in which Otto Maria Carpeaux’s exile experiences transformed him from a devoted Austrian to a convinced Brazilian. Benjamin Weiser Varon’s transformation to an advocate of Zionism as a result of his exile is the topic of Reinhard Andress’s chapter.

The section on France, the USA, Germany, and China is the least cohesive of the volume, a problem that one frequently encounters in conference proceedings. It presents an eclectic array of essays on Walter Hasenclever and Thomas Mann, as well as chapters on US policy following World War II and the Shanghai exile community. One of the most interesting essays in the volume is that by Sydney Norton and Lynette Roth on the “Manifestations of Exile in the Work of Max Beckmann,” which focuses on the collection of Beckmann’s paintings and prints held at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Overall, the volume presents interesting new insights into selected areas of exile studies. Scholars and students working on the individuals discussed in the chapters will find a wealth of information that contributes to the continuing scholarly engagement with exile studies.