Contestants were allowed to use no more than 250 words, in German or English, and poems had to be based on one of the objects in the Museum of London’s ‘Germany – Memories of Nation’ exhibition. The poetic form is known as a Dinggedicht, a poetry of objects.
’Running this competition has been hugely rewarding, because of the sheer quality of the poems we received and the intensity of the writers’ engagement with German culture, history and language', said Godela Weiss-Sussex, Senior Lecturer in German Literature at the IMLR. ‘The number and quality of entries in German, sent in by people of all ages and from all walks of life, exceeded all our expectations – a sure sign that the engagement, especially among learners at schools and university level, is alive and well.’
‘It was interesting how the same objects come up again and again', said Karen Leeder, one of the judges and a prizewinning translator of modern German poetry. ‘The best poems managed to say something about the thing itself and reflections on broader themes were channelled through a precise observation of the object under scrutiny.'
The prize giving and readings from all the categories, secondary schools, undergraduates an an open competition will take place in the West Clore Foyer at the British Museum between 18:50 and 19.20 on Friday, 12 December. Following this event, Emeritus Professor Martin Swales (University College London) will give a talk on German literature's fascination with objects from folk tales to 'Dinggedichte' and Berlin novelist Annett Gröschner will read a new 'Dingtext' from her current work in progress.
See an account of the presentation evening and some pictures here and about the winners