In the 1930s and 40s; Los Angeles became an unlikely cultural sanctuary for a distinguished group of German artists and intellectualsmdash;including Thomas Mann; Theodore W. Adorno; Bertolt Brecht; Fritz Lang; and Arnold Schoenbergmdash;who had fled Nazi Germany. During their years in exile; they would produce a substantial body of major works to address the crisis of modernism that resulted from the rise of National Socialism. Weimar Germany and its culture; with its meld of eighteenth-century German classicism and twentieth-century modernism; served as a touchstone for this group of diverse talents and opinions.Weimar on the Pacific is the first book to examine these artists and intellectuals as a group. Ehrhard Bahr studies selected works of Adorno; Horkheimer; Brecht; Lang; Neutra; Schindler; Douml;blin; Mann; and Schoenberg; weighing Los Angelesrsquo;s influence on them and their impact on German modernism. Touching on such examples as film noir and Thomas Mannrsquo;s Doctor Faustus; Bahr shows how this community of exiles reconstituted modernism in the face of the traumatic political and historical changes they were living through.
#905963 in eBooks 2002-08-22 2002-08-22File Name: B003CI90VM
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What You Might Expect--An IntroductionBy Charlotte LenoxWhile this guide doesnt offer much space to discuss such a broad topic. what is presented provides ideas for further reading. Little description is given for terms such as Baroque. Gothic. Rococo. Classicism. etc.. which is a shame. but this book does cover such "classic" works of architecture such as Falling Water. the Pantheon. the Parthenon. and others. and each is used to illustrate a point about architecture. The author spends quite a bit more time on what buildings mean. and how that meaning changes depending on the time period. culture. and individual perspective.Overall. I would recommend this book to someone looking for a very basic understanding of architecture. but if you are looking for something more detailed. Id suggest looking elsewhere.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. building a foundationBy troyesffigyIndeed a very short introduction but what it lacks in length it makes up for in concentrated doses of knowledge. As some who is completely unschooled in the architectural domain. I found this book very satisfying. Thanks to this book. I believe I will pursue other books on the subject. At the end of the book. there is a nice `further reading section with blurbs of other book related to buildings and architecture.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very DisappointingBy CustomerI had high hopes for this book. While the author meant well. the book is very poorly written. and its message unclear. It seemed as though the author did not have a firm grasp of the subject. "A Very Short Introduction" was hardly an introduction at all. The book took major detours into advanced (advanced for me) subject matter that I wondered if the author himself understood. Im probably more confused now about architecture than I was before reading the book. I did not complete the book. I got half way through it and simply could not endure any more. Unfortunately for me. I did not heed some of the bad reviews for this book. I will not be so careless next time. Fortunately. there are far better books available.
