Language:
English
Year of publication:
1989
Titel der Quelle:
New Literary History
Angaben zur Quelle:
21,1 (1989) 133-162
Keywords:
Steiner, George,
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in literature
;
Holocaust (Jewish theology)
Abstract:
Analyzes the connection between Steiner's fiction and his essays, particularly in relation to his understanding of the Holocaust and his theory of interpretation (and translation). Compares the novel "The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H." with the critical work "After Babel." For Steiner, Hitler poses the most fundamental problems of meaning: how can one make sense of him and what he did, particularly since he was, in Steiner's view, a master manipulator of language and meaning himself? Contends that "The Portage" is a radical act of translation - a meditation on Hitler and the crisis of meaning, which aims to reshape understanding of the Holocaust and of meaning itself. Steiner believes that the origins of the Holocaust are complex, and only a theological-metaphysical scale of values can hope to throw light on the causal dynamics of Jew-hatred and of the Auschwitz experience. Views Hitler's final speech in "The Portage" as an attempt by Hitler to use Steiner's ideas and language to distort the truth - a gesture consistent with Steiner's characteristic crossing of boundaries, with his continual trans-lation.
URL:
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