From art to politics: the urban experience in Alfred Döblin's theater reviews (1921-1924)

Abstract

This research project aims to translate, disseminate, and analyze texts by Alfred Döblin (1878-1957) published in the newspaper Prager Tagblatt during the years from 1921 to 1924. Hired as a correspondent for the newspaper published in Prague to write reviews on the Berlin theater scene, Döblin took the opportunity to also report on the political events of the early 1920s. Such political remarks constantly appear linked to a description of the city, which for the first time - this is our hypothesis - gains centrality in Döblin's work. In these texts, Döblin begins to reflect on how the structure of the metropolis determines the conditions of the social experience - and these considerations, in turn, influence the analyses the critic makes on the theatrical productions he saw in Berlin. In the initial phase of this research, we have already analyzed and published an article on the role these texts play in the wider context of Döblin's work and on their connections to other aspects of his critical and artistic production. However, one of the most peculiar aspects of these writings is the form in which Döblin combines the heterogeneous elements that make up his reviews. This form seems to directly engage with a type of popular newspaper prose found in feuilletons during those years, known as urban sketches (Städtebilder). To deepen the discussion on the form of these texts and the relationship they established with other writings published in newspapers during the same period, it would be essential to have access to primary and secondary materials on theatrical criticism and urban newspaper feuilleton pieces from that time. Most of this specific bibliography is not available in Brazilian libraries or online. Therefore, a short-term stay in Germany would be necessary to access these texts and their literature.