Sublunary Editions, paperback
Publication Date: June 25th, 2024
Publisher Marketing: A beach polluted by caustic sludge, a forest strewn with gun emplacements, a mirror projecting an émigré's haunted reflection, these are some of the borders contemplated by Wolfgang Hilbig in Territories of the Soul/On Intonation. Published during the twilight years of the GDR, these collections find the renowned East German writer grappling with tectonic changes inside and around him.
Moving between lyric poetry, personal essay, and gothic horror, Territories of the Soul/On Intonation showcases Hilbig's remarkable versatility and depth of feeling. Born in 1941 in Meuselwitz, Thuringia, Wolfgang Hilbig is considered one of the most significant writers to emerge from the GDR. After spending his youth employed as a laborer and factory worker, he emigrated to West Germany in 1985. He received many of the most important literary awards in the German-speaking world, including the Georg Büchner and Ingeborg Bachmann Prizes. He died in 2007.