If you want a quick understanding of German Naturalism, read this. Gerhart Hauptmann is a controversial figure in literature: he was adored/instrumentalised by the Nazis, despite his clear textual deviations from their ideologies (let’s just call it “complicated”), but his influence on literature and language is undisputed up until today. This book really sums up everything that happened in his earlier works: young priest moves to remote village in the mountainous parts of Northern Italy, is stricken by the poverty of a banished family, but also […]