»Lieblingskind«. Kritikertreffen’ 91 (Protokoll/Transkript)¹

Abstract

This text documents a debate about the essay held in the course of the Kritikertreffen in 1991 in Baden-Baden and was subsequently televised. The primary reason for the debate is the German translation of George Steiner’s Real Presences. In addition, works of the essayist Ivan Nagel are taken into consideration, especially his Gedankengänge als Lebensläufe: Versuche über das 18. Jahrhundert. This documentation is of value to essay studies. Even though there are inconsistencies, controversies and contradictions, the arguments brought forward here represent the current state of literary theory discussion from the perspective of a group of prominent German literary critics.