Heiner Müller, Mauser

John Milfull (University of New South Wales)
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Written in 1970 but not published till 1976, Mauser represents the culmination of Heiner Müller’s long preoccupation with Brecht’s Lehrstücke [learning plays] and remains his most confronting and provocative play. Like Brecht’s Die Massnahme [The Measures Taken, 1930], of which it is both a critique and a development, the play was effectively banned in the GDR. It presented the problem of revolutionary violence and terror during the period of war communism and civil war in Russia in such an uncompromising manner that it threatened the party’s efforts to “move on” from the earthquake caused by Kruschchev’s condemnation of Stalin at the twentieth Party Congress. The GDR leadership at this time …

829 words

Citation: Milfull, John. "Mauser". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 March 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14468, accessed 29 March 2024.]

14468 Mauser 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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