Gottfried Benn Summary

Benn, Gottfried(1886–1956) Gottfried Benn, the German poet and critic, was born in Mansfeld in Westprignitz, of mixed Prussian and Swiss-French parentage. After studying philosophy and philolog... Read more

The German author Gottfried Benn (1886-1956) was an important expressionist writer. Influenced by his work as a physician, he demonstrated brutal antisentimentalism in both his poetry and prose.Gottfr... Read more

In the following essay, Seyppel discusses Benn's place in the history of German poetry, focusing on the poet's “trance-poetry,” which addresses metaphysical concerns and th... Read more

In the following essay, Manyoni discusses Benn's unique use of the technique of “montage” in his poetry. In view of the significance Benn's practice of poetic montage demon... Read more

In the following essay, Holbeche discusses the importance of Benn's poem “Palau” in the development of his early poetry. Of all Gottfried Benn's major poems ‘Palau,&... Read more

In the following excerpt, Timms discusses Benn's controversial political orientation during the era of Nazi Germany, and the influence this had upon his poetry. Treason of the Intellectuals def... Read more

In the following review, Weisstein criticizes the editor of the collection Primal Vision for its omission of important poems, and its clumsiness and inaccuracy of translation. Weisstein, however, admi... Read more

In the following essay, Hannum compares two “autumnal” poems, one by Benn and one by Stefan George, and discusses differences in each poet's use of nature imagery. Komm in den tot... Read more

In the following essay, Hilton traces the development of Benn's poetic style in relation to other modern German poets. Gottfried Benn was born on May 2, 1886, in Mansfield, Westprignitz, the so... Read more

In the following essay, Holbeche discusses the poem “Karyatide,” concluding that it represents an important stage in the development of Benn's early poetry. Although Gottfried Ben... Read more