2025 Vol. 16 №1

The paper deals with images of Bavarian space based on the travelogue “Travel letters from England, Germany and France” by Nikolay Gretch from the imagological and semiotic points of view. The representation of the metropolitan and provincial imagery of Bavaria is analyzed. Its liminality, fixed in Gretch’s text, is revealed, i. e. intermediate position between North and South. A connection is established between the analyzed loci and such spatial types as the spaces of demi-natural idyll, historical memory, art (and science), as well as German philistinism. The central place in Gretch’s representation of Bavaria is occupied by the city images of Regensburg and Munich, the latter in particular. The description of the Bavarian capital encompasses all the spatial types mentioned, making it the most intricate and multifaceted. The images of Regensburg and the adjacent hall of German fame Valhalla are associated with spaces of demi-natural idyll, historical memory and art. Other loci mentioned in the text are simpler in structure. In addition, Gretch’s representation of the Bavarian space reveals its connection with four modes of describing Germany in Russian literature of the 19th century: sentimentalist, romanticist, neutral-factual and travesty world-images.

The article explores the biography of Professor Paul Henry Gerber (1863-1919), a bright representative of the intellectual elite of Königsberg at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. A native of the capital of the German province East Prussia, he was an outstanding otorhino­lar­yngologist, a lecturer at the University of Königsberg, as well as an original poet and pub­li­cist. The study, based on biographical and narrative methods, reveals the main stages of Ger­ber’s life, and clarifies the dating of its most important events. The author comments the Ger­ber’s most significant works, including scholarly publications on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Wolfgang Goethe (the article briefly covers subsequent scholarly controversy sur­rounding the article on Mozart’s ear). Some of Gerber’s scholarly and popular texts are quot­ed, reflecting both his varied interests and the specificity of his literary style. Based on the materials of address books of Königsberg the article reconstructs the addresses of Gerber’s residence and work as well as the current state of the places connected with the biography of the outstanding citizen of Königsberg (the house where Gerber lived in the last years of his life has been preserved and included in the register of cultural heritage objects in contemporary Kaliningrad, but the memory of the famous tenant is not commemorated there). The author describes the research perspectives related to further study of the integration of medical and literary discourses.

The paper is the first translation into Russian of the poem ‘Everything has already hap­pened! (Epistle to Julius Stettenheim)’ by the outstanding German scholar, professor at the University of Königsberg, medical practitioner and poet Paul Henry Gerber (1863—1919). The poem first appeared in Gerber’s collection of poems ‘From Youth. Songs and Poetry’ (Ber­lin, 1895); it was also reprinted in a review of the book published in the journal Mnemosyne. The poem, in which gentle humour shades into deep philosophical content, was addressed to the German publisher and journalist Julius Stettenheim, and contains allusions to the Book of Ecclesiastes and the works of the German classics. The publication also reproduces the origi­nal text and a translation of a journal review. The commentary briefly covers the principles of translation, and provides information on the main motifs of the poem and the personalities mentioned in it.

The literary fate of the German dramatist Heiner Müller is paradoxical. Despite his plays being part of the main repertoire in many of the world’s leading theaters, he faced prolonged censorship both in his homeland, the German Democratic Republic, and in Russia. However, interest in his works has grown significantly in recent years. Müller's major works have been translated into Russian, and his plays are increasingly staged in domestic theatres. Alongside these theatrical productions, Russian researchers are actively engaging with Müller’s legacy, analyzing various aspects of his dramatic works in numerous scholarly studies. This demon­strates the emergence of an active phase of academic discourse in Russia centered on Heiner Müller's contributions to drama.

This article aims to examine the specifics of the Russian-language reception of Müller’s play “Cement” in contemporary scholarship and culture. “Cement” holds a pivotal role in the process of mastering Müller’s legacy in Russia. The study is novel and significant as it sys­tematically organizes materials on the reception of this play, providing a comprehensive anal­ysis of how it has been perceived and interpreted.  The key themes and dominant aspects of “Cement” are identified through a comparative analysis of current Russian research on Mül­ler’s work, as well as insights from modern Russian electronic media. The study draws con­clusions about the nature of Müller’s reception in Russia and the specific perception of his drama in this context. The practical significance of this research lies in its applicability to the development and delivery of lectures on the history of European drama, as well as specialized courses on German literature.