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Event organised by the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations’ (CAGCR) Literature section, in co-operation with King's College London: Stephen Spender in Germany, 1945 In 1945 Stephen Spender spent six months in occupied Germany helping with the reconstruction of universities and libraries. His mission was partly political (he wanted to mediate between German and British culture at a time when the British government thought the Germans were incapable of cultural renewal), partly literary (he was keen to experience the extraordinary landscape of ruined Germany first hand) and partly personal (he wanted to make contact with ER Curtius, his mentor from before the war). The trips resulted in his Rhineland Journal, published in Horizon, and in European Witness (1946), one of the first and still one of the most eloquent accounts of the German landscape, society and culture in the immediate postwar period. Here, Dr Lara Feigel (co-editor of the New Selected Journals of Stephen Spender), Dr Elaine Morley (convenor of the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations’ MA at Queen Mary, University of London) and Matthew Spender (the poet’s son, who has recently uncovered new material on Spender’s time in Germany in the National Archives), will discuss Spender, European Witness and German reconstruction. The event takes place on Thursday 14 March at 6 pm Venue: University of London Senate House, Senate Room Malet Street London WC1E 7HU. Details: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/cagcr/events/index.shtml Enquiries: Dr Elaine Morley (QMUL/CAGCR) [log in to unmask] ----------------------- Dr Falco Pfalzgraf Acting Deputy Director Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations http://www.qmul.ac.uk/cagcr/ [log in to unmask]