Eike Geisel

Eike Geisel (born 1945, died 6. August 1997) was a journalist and essayist in Germany und Israel.

Controversial essays and works in cultural history

His essays, studies and polemics led to controversies. A characterization of the book " EYE FOR AN EYE" of John Sack in "Frankfurter Rundschau" ("taz" had not accepted the article) as „Antisemitische Rohkost“ (antisemitic raw food) stopped the German publishing of the translated book 1986. Geisel published among others in "Haaretz", an interview with Tom Segev about israels founding fathers led to controversy in Israel as well. Background was a controversial stance about Ben Gurion.

Eike Geisel has translated some of the work of Hannah Arendt, essays about Zionism, Palestine and Germany into German. Together with Henryk Broder he has had published essays and a documentary film about Jüdischer Kulturbund (Jewish Cultural Union), a before unknown chapter of Jewish German cultural life during the nazi area. A project about jeweish revenge, planned attacks against nazis in the postwar area was not finished when Geisel died.

Style and Publications

„Some of my best friends are German“ - Eike Geisel was a polemic and a no frills critic with a gift for aphorisms and bonmots. Left Antisemitism and Reconciliation Kitsch [http://lizaswelt.blogspot.com/2007/08/in-memoriam-eike-geisel.html 6.8.07 In memoriam Eike Geisel] and the alleged tendency to use the Holocaust Memory as a source of German National Pride were focus of his works. Titles like „Die Banalität der Guten“ (banality of good), „Triumph des guten Willens“ (Triumph of good will ), „Erinnerung als höchste Form des Vergessens“ (Remembrance as highest version of amnesia) and critism of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial as „Monument der Vernichtungsgewinnler“ (Monument of Annihilation carpetbaggers) show his style.

For Geisel reconciliation and understanding efforts towards the former victims of the Holocaust were just impossible. [http://www.hagalil.com/archiv/98/06/geisel.htm In Erinnerung an Eike Geisel: Wahrheit gegen den Versöhnungskitsch. Remebering Eike Geiseil: Truth against the Kitsch of Reconciliation] .

Books

* Vielleicht war das alles erst der Anfang. Tagebuch aus dem KZ Bergen- Belsen. 1944 - 1945 mit Hanna Levy-Hass; Rotbuch Verlag 1979
* Im Scheunenviertel. Bilder, Texte und Dokumente, mit Günter Kunert, Siedler Verlag 1986)
* Lastenausgleich, Umschuldung. Die Wiedergutwerdung der Deutschen. Essays, Polemiken, Stichworte; Taschenbuch 1984
* Das Ende Israels? Nahostkonflikt und Geschichte des Zionismus mit Nathan Weinstock und Mario Offenberg; Wagenbach 1985
* Essays und Kommentare 2. Die Krise des Zionismus von Hannah Arendt, mit Klaus Bittermann; Edition Tiamat 1989
* Premiere und Pogrom. Der Jüdische Kulturbund 1933–1941, mit Henryk M. Broder; Siedler, Berlin 1992 ISBN 3-88680-343-0
* Schindlerdeutsche: Ein Kinotraum vom Dritten Reich mit Lothar Baier, Joachim Bruhn, und Detlev Claussen; ça-ira-Verlag 1994
* Die Banalität der Guten. Deutsche Seelenwanderungen; Edition Tiamat 1997
* Triumph des guten Willens, posthum hrsg. von Klaus Bittermann, Tiamat 2002

References

External links