Herta Müller

“. . . continues the stimulating series of monographs on contemporary German writers . . . this volume will promote further interest in a challenging, yet fascinating, writer.” –The Year’s Work in Modern Language Studies

“ . . . a welcome addition to the Contemporary German Writers series . . . an excellent volume that fulfils its aim and that of the series by providing both an overview and high-quality material for the specialist.” –MLR

“. . . Brigid Haines’s collection of essays is the first book in English devoted to Muller’s work and is certainly to be welcomed by American and British scholars . . . In short, this collection of essays is the best study to date devoted to Muller’s oeuvre and is a valuable contribution not only to German studies, but also to the wider fields of culture studies, ethnic studies, and feminist studies.” –Journal of English and Germanic Philology

“. . . it is the first study of the writer in English and provides a well rounded and stimulating introduction for the new reader to this challenging author, as well as being a useful resource for those carrying out specialised research.” –Deutsch:Lehren und Lernen

“An ethnic German born in the Romanian Banat, Herta Müller, who left Romania for West Berlin in 1987, is among the leading voices in contemporary German literature. This volume is both an excel- lent introduction to her work and a resource for the specialist reader. It contains ten previously unpublished poems by Müller and an interview in which the author reflects on some of her central themes, followed by six essays which give a broad-ranging insight into her work. Müller is obviously not concerned with fashionable themes or theoretical positions. More important to her are the development of a concept of morality as a tool of resistance, and of a narrative strategy which enables her to expose and subvert political repression. Her use of metaphor and metonymy, her insistent focus on detail, her use of memory and myth are dealt with as functions of her political and narrative strategies (Haines, von Hoff, Midgley, Schmidt, White). What enriches the reading of Müller’s texts in this volume are references to contemporaries from other cultures, including Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, and, most explicitly, Libuse Monikovii (Littler). Müller thus emerges as both a "local" and a thoroughly international voice.” –Forum for Modern Language Studies