Underground Modernity: Urban Poetics in East-Central Europe, Pre- and Post-1989

Alfrun Kliems' book explores the aesthetic strategies of Eastern European underground literature, art, film, and music in the decades before and after the fall of communism, challenging common notions of 'Underground as an umbrella term for nonconformism. It depicts it as a sociopoetic reflection of modernity, intimately linked to urban settings, with tropes and aesthetic procedures related to Surrealism, Dadaism, Expressionism, and pop and counterculture.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 340 pages
\n Publication date: 10 March 2021
\n Publisher: Central European University Press
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The literary scholar Alfrun Kliems delves into the intricate aesthetics of Eastern European underground literature, art, film, and music during the transformative decades preceding and following the collapse of communism. Spanning from the pioneering figures of the Prague Underground, such as Egon Bondy, to the vibrant neo-Dada Club of Polish Losers in Berlin, her study uncovers a rich tapestry of artistic expressions that defied official constraints and emerged as subversive post-regime manifestations.

Rather than viewing the Underground as a mere catch-all term for nonconformism, Kliems presents it as a socio-poetic reflection of modernity, intricately intertwined with urban landscapes. This artistic movement draws upon a diverse range of influences, including Surrealism, Dadaism, Expressionism, and, most notably, pop and counterculture. Through her comprehensive analysis, Kliems explores these commonalities and distinctions among Czech, Polish, Slovak, Ukrainian, Russian, and German authors, musicians, and filmmakers. She identifies intertextual connections across languages and generations, situating her findings within a transatlantic context, encompassing the Beat Generation, Susan Sontag, Neil Young, and the historical frameworks of Romanticism and modernity, represented by figures such as Baudelaire and Brecht.

Despite the broad scope of her inquiry, Kliems maintains a steadfast focus on her central message: the Underground is not an arbitrary expression of discontent but rather the manifestation of a profound socio-philosophical conflict at the very foundations of modernity. This insightful exploration of the underground arts offers a valuable lens through which to understand the complexities of a region undergoing rapid change and cultural transformation.

\n Weight: 610g\n
Dimension: 234 x 159 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9789633863978\n \n