Editors' Note

Since the publication of our first volume twelve years ago, the New German Review has continued to evolve and grow. With the success of the last four years, however, the task of producing a professional journal has become a daunting one for the graduate students of UCLA's Department of Germanic Languages. Today NGR is one of only two student-run journals in North America devoted to Germanic studies. Our subscription base has expanded to include the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and even Thailand. In an effort to meet the challenges of growing demand and a decrease in institutional funding, our previous Editor-in-Chief, John Kluempers, decided that we would both need to assume the traditional responsibilities of editing as well as look for new ways to make our journal work. Working together as a team, we, Martina and Erik, are proud to present Volume 12, which brings about a departure from the past while demonstrating the same initiative as past volumes.
      For us Volume 12 of NGR represents the many opportunities available to students conducting research in Los Angeles. Not only were we both able to successfully complete our degrees during the last year, but we are convinced that working for NGR enriched our graduate-school experience. Being forced to accept and reject submissions, having to manage editorial boards, and negotiating with typesetters and printers adds a dimension to life at UCLA that is unavailable in the classroom. Before handing the reins over to our new Editor-in-Chief, Yvonne Ivory, we want to recommend that all students pursue the possibility of working for a student-run journal. The practical knowledge acquired through this kind of editorial activity can be directly applied toward the publication of your own manuscripts. Due to generous support of the Graduate Student Association and the Department, we are fortunate to have this opportunity at UCLA.
      The organization of Volume 12 is deliberate. Beginning with two interviews conducted by graduate students, it underscores the historical and symbolic proximity of Los Angeles to modern German literature and Germany's contemporary literary scene. The recent renovation of the former home of Lion and Marta Feuchtwanger, the Villa Aurora, has made it possible for Los Angeles to play host to the best writers and scholars working in Germany today. In this spirit of cooperation, Amelie Heinrichsdorff asks Irina Liebmann about former misunderstandings between East and West and encounters an optimistic assessment of German literature after the Wende. In comparison, Agnes Müller's interview with Matthias Polyticki focuses on the daily activity of a contemporary German writer which results in a re-definition of the notion of literary "work."
      Our third article introduces the writer and performance artist, Gabriele Stötzer, whose work is currently being showcased in the Berlin exhibit, "boheme und diktatur in der ddr." Monika Krol argues that Stötzer develops a unique vocabulary and literature of testimony in order to stage her protest against a dictatorial system. The purpose of Gregory Zlotin's article is to compare the structural aspects of Uwe Johnson's novel, Zwei Geschichten, with Franz Kafka's Das Schloß and, thus, to judge the success (or failure) of Johnson's attempt to construct a modern allegory. Finally, Martina Eidecker begins her study of Johann Beers' Die kurzweiligen Sommer=Täge by demonstrating the importance of a proper definition of the "picaresque" and then reflecting on the limits of literary research guided by the notion of genre.
      We are thankful for the support which we have been afforded throughout the year, and we wish the editor of Volume 13, Yvonne, the support which she deserves.

Martina Eidecker
Erik Eisel