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Introduction
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GOTTFRIED BENN
Gruesome and lamentable hospitals, earthy and vibrant cafés, prestigious cultural institutions and sites of ideological warfare: these are among the many stops that await you as you embark on this journey through the Berlin of Gottfried Benn (1886-1956) -- one of the most controversial and highly-acclaimed German poet and essayist of the 20th century. This site will unfold an enigmatic -- and at times compulsive -- relationship between Benn and his city, examining the ways in which Benn's professional and ideological choices acquired shape in Berlin. At the same time, the site will reveal the ways that Benn's life and works trace the tumultuous history of Berlin itself, from the excitement and promise of a new century begun, to the despair of a city defeated, divided and in search of renewal.
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