German Fantasy Literature of the 1970s and 1980s - A preliminary reading list and an ongoing reading project

I am not entirely sure when exactly I started toying with the idea of creating a reading list for popular German fantasy fiction published in the late 1970s and 1980s, but I believe it coincided with the time when I was reunited with my copy of Hans Bemmann's 'Stein und Flöte' (english title: The Stone and the Flute) some six months ago.

Hans Bemmann - The Stone and the Flute (Stein ind Floete), Goldmann

Shortly after its arrival, Stein ind Flöte (first published in 1983) was allocated a space on my bookshelves and ended up in the fantasy section, where it is currently leading a lonely existence as the only fantasy novel written by a German-speaking author. (My copy of Michael Ende's Neverending Story is currently back home in Germany.)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the fantasy section of my shelf is populated by a diverse bunch of primarily British or American authors, who have traditionally dominated the genre. Other nationalities appear to be conspicuously absent. As a result, I got intrigued and decided to delve a little deeper into the matter in order to see whether I could locate works that fit the fantasy label and were published in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s. Ende and Bemmann aside, who else was at the time writing similar books in Germany? Who inspired authors like Ende and Bemmann; and who, in turn, was inspired by their work?

I am aware of the widely embraced distinction between Fantasy Fiction and Phantastik in German-speaking literary circles. In my view this separation constitutes an artificial barrier, which is perhaps necessary for an academic engagement with the matter. For the purposes of my investigation, however, I shall continue to refer to the genre as 'Fantasy' to avoid complicating matters unnecessarily. All those familiar with Ende's Die Unendliche Geschichte (Neverending Story), which was first published in 1979, will probably agree that the fantasy label fits the book rather well and I will thus use it as a descriptor going forward. 

With this in mind, I started my search for books that would fit the description. To be added to the reading list, candidates had to fulfil two criteria: they had to be first published in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s and should be categorised as 'Fantasy'. Science fiction was to be strictly exempt from the list. Reading lists showcasing the German contribution to science fiction are easily obtainable as is evident by this Goodreads reading list, featuring all of the Kurd Lasswitz award winners to date: 

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/127293.Kurd_La_witz_Award_Winners

At this point I was still blissfully unaware that I had set myself a rather ambitious task. Collating and locating reading lists on specific topics is normally never a real issue. Most of the time someone else has already done the hard work, completed the research and compiled a ready-made reading list. All that's usually necessary is to review and eventually source the books in question. Not on this occasion.

Initial searches on the web yielded almost no results and didn't provide much further insight or suggestions on how best to tackle the question. Amongst the names that came up repeatedly were authors Wolfgang and Heike Hohlbein, who, particularly when considering their commercial success, have earned their place in any list on German fantasy fiction. Beyond that, there was a heap of suggestions, including contemporary German fantasy authors such as Bernhard Hennen or Cornelia Funke, whose works were published from the late 1990s onwards and therefore did not meet my selection criteria. 

Gnook suggestions for Wolfgang Hohlbein

Gnooks, which I love consulting for book recommendations (if you are not familiar you should pay the site a visit, as it can be an invaluable resource when looking for author suggestions) also didn't come up with viable options for my list.

By sheer chance, I came across Robert Corvus's discussion of Georg Zauner's 1981 science fiction novel Die Enkel der Raketenbauer, which led me to further investigate the author. 

It turns out that Zauner is not only a Kurd-Laßwitz award winner (the most prestigious award for science fiction literature in Germany) and the father of Stefan Zauner (ex lead singer of epic pop formation Münchener Freiheit) but also wrote fantasy fiction. Zauner's Marana oder die Hochzeit der Elfe met all the selection criteria for my reading project and therefore made its way on to my list.

Georg Zauner, Marana oder die Hochzeit der Elfe (Verlag: Benziger, 1984)

Whilst Zauner's Enkel der Raketenbauer appears to be somewhat of a rarity and currently commands a high(ish) price amongst collectors, a hardback copy of Marana oder die Hochzeit der Elfe (Benziger, 1984) can be purchased with relative ease and for a comparatively modest amount.

Robert Corvus discussing Georg Zauner's Die Enkel der Raketenbauer

Following this initial breakthrough, I was soon running out of suggestions again until, once more by sheer coincidence, I discovered an anthology of modern German Fantasy short stories, which I was able to source without problems. 

Jörg Weigand (editor) Vergiss nicht den Wind - Neue deutsche Fantasy-Geschichten, Bastei Lübbe, 1983, Cover Art: Tim White

Edited by Jörg Weigand and originally published by Bastei Lübbe in 1983, Vergiss nicht den Wind, features fantasy short stories by twelve German authors, including Wolfgang Hohlbein, Lothar Streblow, Dietrich Wachler, Bernhard Kreimeier, Iny Klocke, Ulrich Harbecke and Ulrich Weise. This selection of short stories aims to showcase, as stated by Weigand in the preface to my edition, that '[...] German fantasy literature can be equally as entertaining and fascinating as its Anglo-american counterpart [...]'.

We shall see.

If nothing else, as an anthology Vergiss nicht den Wind might offer a few possible starting points for further research. For now, I'm pleased that I was able to populate my preliminary reading list, albeit sparsely and with difficulty, and managed to get my reading project off the ground. Who would have thought that information on popular German fantasy fiction and genre authors of the period in question is so scarce and difficult to come by? Especially considering Ende's monumental publishing success with Die unendliche Geschichte, I would have expected a fair number of authors riding the fantasy wave at the time.

Suggestions for suitable reading material that fits the criteria for my selection are gratefully received. 

Review: Dark Satanic by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Originally published in 1972 Dark Satanic is the first book in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Occult Tales series and the prequel to The Inheritor. Throughout her life Bradley was an incredibly prolific writer and is, of course, better known for both the Darkover and Avalon series. Given the sheer quantity of Bradley's written output, it should come as no surprise that some of her books lack in the quality department.

Anyone familiar with her wider work will be aware, Bradley published a great number of books and short stories that can best be described as 'fragments' or literary experiments, in which she was trialling new plot lines, developing characters and experimenting with new themes. Rather than retaining these fragments in a drawer, Bradley was happy to see them published - in later years most often inside one of her short story collections and anthologies. Yet, at times her ventures into new territory were published as stand-alone books or republished and marketed as sequels and / or prequels to other novels.  Dark Satanic belongs into the latter category.

Dark Satanic, Marion Zimmer Bradley 

The story unfolds in Manhatten where James Melford, a publisher, and his wife Barbara share an apartment with James's ageing mother (Mother Melford) and her friend, Dana, who temporarily stays with the Melfords while house hunting. 

Shortly before his untimely death, one of James's authors, Jock Cannon, visits James in his office at Blackcock Publishing in order to deter James from publishing Jock's recently completed expose on New York City's satanic subculture. As a result of researching  satanist circles, Jock is now subjected to intimidation and harassment by as yet unidentified forces, wishing to prevent the information in his book from becoming public. 

When Jock suddenly dies of a heart attack, James, still determined to publish his book, decides to investigate further. He remains unconvinced by Jock's warnings until James himself starts receiving threatening calls and unexpected late-night deliveries. 

Meanwhile, Barbara, who not only has a rather strained relationship with her mother-in-law but is also deeply uncomfortable with Dana's presence in the apartment, experiences strange goings-on, too. At first, she doubts her own sanity, but as the story unfolds, she becomes increasingly suspicious of Mother Melford, her confidante and their behaviour towards her. 

Admittedly, in Dark Satanic Bradley is not giving us her best. Quite the opposite. The spelling mistakes in my copy alone indicate the absence of any serious editing and suggest a turbo turnaround from initial manuscript to publication. The characters remain flat and abstract and the story seems to plot along, giving the impression that Bradley, whilst writing, forgot where she wanted to take the story. 

Following the introduction of Claire Moffat's and Colin MacLaren's characters, which assume the roles of dei ex machinae, Bradley moves on to plant the seed of the sequel, thereby not so subtly preparing her readers for further literary ventures into the worlds of good and evil, the forces of black and white magic, religious ceremonies and satanic rites. This is somewhat reminiscient of The Fall of Atlantis, 

The Fall of Atlantis, Marion Zimmer Bradley, photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith

Atmospherically and thematically, the setting and subject matter of Dark Satanic evoke associations with Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, which was published in 1967. Rosemary's Baby became the best-selling horror novel of the 1960s and thanks to Polanski's adaptation of the book, which was released in 1968, it remained a trendsetter in the genre for years to come.

As a literary product, Dark Satanic can best be described as a gothic pulp, tapping superficially into Levin's market by ripping various elements off Rosemary's Baby. Considering the poor quality editing, I would not be surprised to find out that Bradley was under a very tight deadline when writing Dark Satanic and she made use of this to explore a rough idea for a new series. In later editions the book is marketed as the prequel to The Inheritor, which was published in 1984 and received overwhelmingly positive reviews. The success of The Inheritor undoubtedly boosted sales of Dark Satanic, resulting in its republication in 1988. 

All in all, Dark Satanic certainly deserves a place in any MZB fan collection, especially to satisfy the needs of the completist collector. All others are best advised to skip the book and read The Inheritor instead. 

Cover Art by George Barr, Maren,Tim White, Darrell K. Sweet et al.

An eclectic selection of sci-fi and fantasy artists have created the covers for Marion Zimmer Bradley's books and anthologies.

The below is a selection of cover art for MZB's publications. The photos are taken from the paperback hardcovers. The entire pictures are available here, featuring works by George Barr, Tim White, David A. Cherry, Richard Hescox and Maren, whose actual name is Mariano Pérez Clemente. 

Whereever possible information on the cover artist and edition has been included. Sadly, the cover art the for The Forest House (MZB's Avalon Series) remains uncredited in the edition by Michael Joseph.

George Barr, Darkover Landfall

Marion Zimmer Bradley: Darkover Landfall - 1972

Publisher: DAW Books, Inc.

This edition: 15th printing (first printing, December 1972)

Cover Art by George Barr

For a review of Darkover Landfall, please click here.

Cover Art for Marion Zimmer Bradley

Darkover Landfall Marion Zimmer Bradley, photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith

Marion Zimmer Bradley: Darkover Landfall - 1972

Publisher: DAW Books, Inc.

This edition: 15th printing (first printing, December 1972)

Cover Art by George Barr

Border Art by Richard Hescox

For a review of Darkover Landfall, please click here.

Snows of Darkover, Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley, photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith

Snows of Darkover

Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Cover Art: Tim White 

Publisher: Daw, 1994

The Ages of Chaos, Darkover Omnibus (Stormqueen and Hawkmistress) by Marion Zimmer Bradley photo courtesy of Clarice Asquith

Stormqueen & Hawkmistress (Darkover Omnibus)

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Cover Art: Romas Brandt Kukalis

Crime and Punishment

....or a Zero Tolerance Policy towards late returners:

Library Fines in Warren County, Vicksburg (Mississippi) Public Library

This was stuck to the inside cover of one of my latest paperback finds. 

I just love vintage paperbacks. You simply don't get the same amusement with a kindle.