The papers, the appreciation and the poem that are collected in this volume were delivered at the conference, Aesthetics and Politics in Modern German Culture, which was held from 31 August to 2 September 2008 at the University of Wales Conference Centre, Gregynog Hall, in honour of Professor Rhys W. Williams upon his retirement from the Chair of German at Swansea University. The contributions focus on broad themes in modern German culture, all of which reflect Rhys Williams' research interests: Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit; Representing/Resisting National Socialism; West German Writing; GDR Spaces and Voices; Exploring Masculinities in Fiction; Performing Politics, Performing Humour; Intertexts and Difference; and Lives and Letters.

Peter Schneider is a seminal figure in contemporary German writing. Initially prominent for his involvement in the student movement, he has consistently focused on problems at the heart of German national and cultural identity: the legacy of Auschwitz, the student revolt, neo-Nazi violence, the Green movement, and, above all, the division and subsequent unification of Germany. From the influential "Lenz"""(1973) to the challenging yet accessible "Paarungen "(1992), Schneider's fiction and essays bring meticulous intellectual analysis to what he himself describes as a neglected 'deutsche Tradition von Ironie, Leichtigkeit, Humor'. The first book in English or German to be devoted exclusively to Peter Schneider, this collection of essays is intended both as an introduction for the general reader and as a resource for the specialist. It contains a previously unpublished piece by Schneider, together with a revealing interview and a biographical sketch. The contributions on various aspects of the author's fiction and essays are complemented by the fullest bibliography to date of Schneider's primary works as well as a select list of secondary sources.