Krise und Gemeinschaft

Stefan George’s „Der Stern des Bundes“ is one of the most provocative and unusual works of poetry in the history of German literature. Here, on the eve of the First World War, George unfolds social, religious, poetic, personal, philosophical and even economic issues. Members of Georges´s famous „circle“ as well as his contemporaries perceived of the „Stern des Bundes“ as a prediction of coming catastrophes and a warning, as a stimulus for peaceful and intimate community building in the face of great crises and as a reaffirmation of a hopeful outlook towards a shared world. Krise und Gemeinschaft assembles introductory and survey articles, contributions to key words from the “Stern”, and interpretations of key poems. It is especially aimed at readers who are still unfamiliar with the „Stern“.