Wilma Abeles Iggers

Wilma Iggers

"The richness of the material and its skillful assembly make this a very readable volume ... revealing a wonderful range of perspective, from personal, intimate reflections to timely comments on the politics and society of both Prague and the Czech Republic of the era under study." - Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Europe "Wilma Iggers offers English-reading audiences fascinating new perspectives ... in a sensitive introduction to the city's modern experience and translated sections from the writings of twelve women ... This volume is particularly welcome since the work of most of these writers has not been readily available in English before." - Gary B. Cohen, University of Oklahoma For many centuries Prague has exerted a particular fascination because of its beauty and therichness of its culture and history. Its famous group of German and Czech writers of mostly Jewish extraction in the earlier part of this century has deeply influenced Western culture.However, little attention has so far been paid to the roles of women in the history of thisethnically diverse area in around Prague. Based on largely autobiographical writings and letters by women and enhanced by extensive historical introduction, this book redresses a serious imbalance. The vivid and often moving portraits, which emerge from the varied material used bythe author, offer fascinating and new insights into the social and cultural history of this region.

Ethnic Diversity and Social Change from the Eighteenth Century to the Present

Women of Prague

At no time did Vienna playa greater role in the intellectual and artistic life of the German speaking peoples and of Europe than in the first three decades of the present century. It was the home of Mahler and SchOnberg, of Hofmannsthal and Schnitzler, of Mach and Wittgen­ stein, of Freud and of Austro-Marxism. Less known outside the Ger­ man-speaking world was Karl Kraus, whose whole work was insepa­ rably connected with the Vienna of his time and who, perhaps for this reason, may seem today more "provincial" than the others whom we have just named. Kraus was an apocalyptic moralist: The titles of some of his more important works unmistakably reveal it: "The last days of mankind" ; "The day of judgment" (WeUgerieht); "The end of the world by black magic" (U ntergang der Welt dureh die sehwarzeM agie). Like Kierkegaard, he was a witness against his time. But the symbolic object of the time against which Kraus bore witness was of an infinitely minor quality than Kierkegaard's. He did not attack the church of his country or the Christianity of his days; his main target was the Viennese press, a target of quickly passing importance, of which little remains today. Kraus was a master of satirical invective and of the German lan­ guage, which he regarded as his most precious inheritance (Ahnenerbe). He felt a deep sense of responsibility for the proper use of the language.

Wilma Abeles Iggers

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