The Literary Society of Gräfelfing fosters German literature in Munich's cultural western suburbs, independent of the city's cultural life.
Formation Adolph Stamm founded this literary society in 1921. The group started with 20 local residents, whose affluence had declined following Germany's defeat in WW1.
Motivated by this, Adolph Stamm organized prose and poetry readings to preserve the cultural traditions. The program also served as a partial replacement for expensive trips to the cultural events in central Munich..
Reportedly, the society avoided Gleichschaltung (forced coordination), was not compelled to join the Reichsschrifttumskammer, and remained active during WW2. After WW2, under the ICD-led reeducation policy, the society's program was initially prohibited.
Honorary member Walter Goetz had an impeccable vetting record and had been classified as White-A. In spring 1947, OMGUS granted the society provisional authorization to conduct its activities. Subsequently, the society applied for final approval,Gesetz Nr. 104 zur Befreiung von Nationalsozialismus und Militarismus vom 5. März 1946, Bayerisches Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt 1946, p. 145; BayBS III p. 223. submitting the Spruchkammer rulings for each board member.
By 1980, membership had risen to 212, reaching 410 by 2017 and 450 in the year 2026. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the society suspended its public lectures.
Activities The society hosts 12 to 14 readings on literary topics annually, with established literary writers, supplemented by non-fiction authors and scientific speakers. As a regionally focused society, its program includes different authors, notably Fyodor Stepun, whose lectures covered historical and literal aspects of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, Germany's principal post-war adversary. Preserved correspondence with Fyodor Stepun.
The events for edification purposes flourished in the aftermath of WW2, amid the material deprivation of the post-war era. The theatre section performed dramatic readings in private gardens of the society members. The in-house chamber music group also gave concerts and remained active until 1960. Sources describe the society as a Würm Valley institution both in the 1970s and the 2020s.
The society established the Kunstkreis Gräfelfing, its modern art section, in 1980. It became independent in 1995 and continues its work to this day. The society has maintained a website since 2004.
In 2011, the society celebrated its 90th anniversary. The keynote speaker was Wolfgang Frühwald, former president of the DFG.
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External links
The Literary Society of Gräfelfing Arbeitsgemeinschaft Literarischer Gesellschaften und Gedenkstätten, the German umbrella organization for literary societies