On April 10, 2007 the 200th anniversary of the death of ANNA AMALIA, DUCHESS OF SAXONY-WEIMAR will be commemorated. She was the mastermind, who, in co-operation with the poet and statesman JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE, transformed Weimar into a cultural centre which would dominate the classical image of Germany for two centuries. UNESCO has declared the city’s architectural ensemble „Classical Weimar“, which was built during Anna Amalia’s time, part of world cultural heritage.
This anniversary is the ideal occasion to focus attention on a so far unknown story about Goethe and Anna Amalia that exceeds by far their joint cultural work. For more than 200 years this story has been unknown to historians, despite the fact that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe again and again has eternalised it in his poetry: the SECRET LOVE BETWEEN GOETHE AND DUCHESS ANNA AMALIA.
The conference works are based on the epoch-making book “J. W. Goethe and Anna Amalia – A Forbidden Love” (2004, ISBN 3-936177-04-X, 400 p., 42 color illustrations) written by DR. ETTORE GHIBELLINO, MJUR (OXFORD). Under the chairmanship of PROF. DR. ILSE NAGELSCHMIDT, University of Leipzig, scholars of various disciplines will discuss in a critical way the persuasiveness of Ghibellino’s thesis along with the evidence expounded in his book. Ghibellino’s book aims to uncover an old state secret of the Duchy Saxony-Weimar. For the first time, contemporary sources are made available which verify that a deception was staged using Anna Amalia’s lady-in-waiting Charlotte von Stein as a front woman. The life of Goethe now appears in a different light, his literary works turn out to be autobiographical. The Annual International Anna Amalia & Goethe Conference is aimed at re-writing literary history. Goethe and Anna Amalia tell the story of their tragic love affair by means of a “mute speech” which makes use of paintings, sculptures, letters and above all the poetry of Goethe, who is universally acknowledged to be a giant of world literature.
Who should submit:
The call for papers is addressed to German scholars, scholars of literature, lawyers, historians, historians of arts, of ethics, of history, of the history of secret service, and others who are interested in contributing from the point of view of their own discipline, to the academic examination of the state secret and its cultural and social implications. Travelling charges and an honorarium are included. From 11-to-12-November-2006 a PREPARATORY SESSION will be held in Weimar to co-ordinate the contributions to the conference.
Submission deadline and procedure:
The Anna Amalia and Goethe Society Weimar and the University of Leipzig invites submissions of proposals for papers in German or English. Please send a brief one-page abstract and a short biography before 31-AUGUST-2006.
Dr. Antje J. Denkena
Anna Amalia & Goethe Freundeskreis e.V.
Daasdorfer Straße 30
D-99428 Weimar, GERMANY
Fon : +49 (0) 3643 7737 612
Facsimile : +49 (0) 3643 7737 572
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