Anton Kuh: Complete writings

Writings by Anton Kuh (Vienna 1890-New York 1941) have been known to exist in well-respected newspapers and periodicals such as Weltbühne, Prager Tagblatt, Tage-Buch, Der Friede, Pariser Tageblatt, Pariser Tageszeitung or Aufbau. Considering the geographical reach of these publications, it should be clear that Mr. Kuh`s accomplishments cannot be reduced to his current perception as a Viennese character and local hero. Two FWF projects were recently performed to develop a personal bibliography (Anton Kuh - a bio-bibliographical approach, I and II, P18162-G06 and P20050-G12). This effort has added a total of 750 previously unknown writings by Mr. Kuh, published in three dozen newly established newspapers and periodicals. It is hoped that this multitude of publications will effectively do away with any preconceived notions that Mr. Kuh was just another Kaffeehausliterat in the cozy tradition of Habsburg monarchy clichés. Far from being a local coffeehouse writer, he was an eminently political thinker as well as a fierce commentator, feuilleton writer and extempore speaker. As such, he contributed very actively to the literary, political and social life of his day. His activities were by no means confined to the Vienna and Prague settings of the monarchy and interwar periods. They reached beyond that, leaving a significant mark in the Weimar Republic settings of Berlin and Munich as well. Read in chronological order, Mr. Kuh`s essays and polemics add up to an index of his time. They provide a collection of snapshots reflecting day-to-day topics while never failing to surprise us by an uncannily timeless quality. Mr. Kuh`s writings count among the most outstanding newspaper contributions of the time. They were unrivalled both in content and, perhaps more important, in style. The present annotated edition makes Mr. Kuh`s journalistic oeuvre accessible to the public. It offers the entire spectrum of his writings, ranging from theatre reviews covering 10 lines up to literary essays covering 20 pages. Included are all writings that were printed in books, newspapers, periodicals and authors collections during Mr. Kuh`s lifetime. All writings are presented as they were first printed and in strictly chronological order based on publication dates. Speeches are also included, even if they survive only in fragments. The edition is published as an economical "study edition" with concise annotations.

The objective of this project was to make Mr. Kuhs journalistic oeuvre accessible to the public. The Complete writings which will be published in autumn 2014 (Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen) will offer the entire spectrum of his writings, ranging from theatre reviews covering 10 lines up to literary essays covering 20 pages. Included are all writings that were printed in books, newspapers, periodicals and authors collections during Mr. Kuhs lifetime. All writings are presented as they were first printed and in strictly chronological order based on publication dates. Speeches are also included, even if they survive only in fragments. The edition is published as an economical study edition with concise annotations. Read in chronological order, Mr. Kuhs essays and polemics add up to an index of his time. They provide a collection of snapshots reflecting day-to-day topics while never failing to surprise us by an uncannily timeless quality. Mr. Kuhs writings count among the most outstanding newspaper contributions of the time. They were unrivalled both in content and, perhaps more important, in style. Writings by Anton Kuh (Vienna 1890New York 1941) have been known to exist in well- respected newspapers and periodicals such as Weltbühne, Prager Tagblatt, Tage-Buch, Der Friede, Pariser Tageblatt, Pariser Tageszeitung or Aufbau. Considering the geographical reach of these publications, it should be clear that Mr. Kuhs accomplishments cannot be reduced to his current perception as a Viennese character and local hero. It is hoped that the Complete writings will effectively do away with any preconceived notions that Mr. Kuh was just another Kaffeehausliterat in the cozy tradition of Habsburg monarchy clichés. Far from being a local coffeehouse writer, he was an eminently political thinker as well as a fierce commentator, feuilleton writer and extempore speaker. As such, he contributed very actively to the literary, political and social life of his day. His activities were by no means confined to the Vienna and Prague settings of the monarchy and interwar periods. They reached beyond that, leaving a significant mark in the Weimar Republic settings of Berlin and Munich as well.