Tyrants writing poetry : the art of language and violence / edited by Albrecht Koschorke and Konstantin Kaminskij.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Koschorke, Albrecht, 1958- editor.

Kaminskij, Konstantin, editor.

Standardized Title:

Despoten dichten. English.

Language:

English

German

Subjects (All):

Sovereignty in literature.

Dictators in literature.

Politics and literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 pages)

Edition:

English edition.

Place of Publication:

Budapest ; New York : Central European University Press, 2017.

Language Note:

Translation of: Despoten dichten: Sprachkunst und Gewalt.

Summary:

Why do tyrants - of all people - often have poetic aspirations? Where do terror and prose meet? This book contains nine case studies that compare the cultural history of totalitarian regimes. The essays focus not on the arts, literature or architecture but on the phenomenon that many of history's great despots considered themselves talented writers. By studying the artistic ambitions of Nero, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Saparmurat Niyazov and Radovan Karadzic, the authors explore the complicated relationship between poetry and political violence, and provide a fascinating look at the aesthetic dimensions of total power. The essays make an important contribution to a number of fields: the study of totalitarian regimes, cultural studies, and biographies of 20th century leaders. They underscore the frequent correlation between tyrannical governance and an excessive passion for language, and demonstrate that the combination of artistic and political charisma is often effective in the quest for absolute power.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Table of Contents

Introduction

Contributors

The Tyrant with His Back to the Wall: Nero’s Artistic Self-Expansion

Benito Mussolini: “Babeuf ” (1902)

Poetry and Tyranny: The Case of Benito Mussolini

Joseph Stalin: “Over This Land” (1895)

Stalin’s Writing: From the Romantic Poetry of the Future to the Socialist Realist Prose of the Past

Adolf Hitler: Excerpt from Mein Kampf (1924)

Ideology in Execution: On Hitler’s Mein Kampf

Kim Il-sung: “Poem Dedicated to Comrade Kim Jong-il on His 50th Birthday” (1992)

Dead Father’s Living Body: Kim Il-sung’s Seed Theory and North Korean Arts

Mao Zedong: “Snow” (1936)

Mao Zedong’s Poetry: Form as Statement

Muammar al-Gaddafi: Excerpt from “Escape to Hell” (1993)

A Poor Despot Descends to Hell: On the Writing and Thinking Styles of Muammar al-Gaddafi

Saddam Hussein: “Unbind It” (2007)

The Principle of Single-Handed Tyranny: On Saddam Hussein’s Literary Works

Saparmyrat Niyazov: “You Are Turkmen” (2001)

Saparmyrat Niyazov’s Ruhnama: The Invention of Turkmenistan

Radovan Karadžić: “Sarajevo” (1971)

“Nothing Is Forbidden in My Faith”: The Metamorphoses of Radovan Karadžić

List of Contributors

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-003-72355-1

963-386-203-5

9781003723554

OCLC:

1013822733