AfterWords

What does it mean for poetry to come after something – be it a certain period, a literary tradition or another author? While connecting with earlier voices, forms and traditions was once deemed inadequate or derivative, contemporary German poetry highlights the historical interconnections within literary production. Complex poetic processes replace the notion of original creations, bringing previously unheard voices to the fore alongside those that have been widely heard and quoted. In this way, contemporary poetry can shed new light on questions of ›afterness‹ and the many ways in which poetic texts are transmitted and received over long periods of time.