Hans Magnus Enzensberger: Ein romantischer Marxist?

Abstract

The German poet, essayist, publicist and intellectual Hans Magnus Enzensberger has been difficult to clearly define for readers and critics alike. This investigation examines the complimentary interplay between important aspects of German Romanticism and dialectical Marxist thought in the aesthetic and socio-political contexts that have shaped Enzensberger's lengthy writing career. It aims to illustrate his underlying adherence to these principles as evidenced by his chosen subject matter and the aesthetic creation and destruction of the artistic self in his own work. Using a combination of romantic irony and dialectical movement, Enzensberger's continued position as a romantic Marxist can be shown in his constant productive appropriation of emerging social conditions, as well as in his adaptability and self-reflective intellectual growth. The analysis begins with Enzensberger's provocative early poetry and expands existing literary research by shifting the main focus to his more recent essay production.