Poet of Expressionist Berlin

An account of one of the leading poets of early (pre-World War I) German 20th century literature. This is a biography and a critical study, which also works as an introduction to the early modern German literary scene, in particular the literary life and letters of pre-1914 Berlin. Heym is recognized as one of the great European big-city poets, in the tradition of Baudelaire. Over 40 of his poems are quoted in full in the book, in their German original with accompanying English prose translations, put in context and discussed. Heym was in many ways an ideal representative type of German literary Expressionism: a rebel against his authoritarian and conservative family and background.