So I was really hoping someone -- Publishing Perspectives, The Guardian, anyone ... -- would get to this before me, but, alas, the English-language media seems to have made a fairly wide berth around what's been happening, so I will try to sum up for you (so that those other outlets can copy the information, links, etc. ...).
Founded by Peter Suhrkamp in 1950, publishing house Suhrkamp -- German publisher of Hesse and Brecht (cash-cows that long subsidized operations), Thomas Bernhard, Peter Handke, and foreign authors such as Samuel Beckett -- has long been an intellectual powerhouse; as they proudly note in their house-history, in 1973 George Steiner himself coined the concept of a 'Suhrkamp-culture', writing in the TLS about:
Unseld-Berkéwicz already rankled with her insistence on moving the fabled house from Frankfurt/Main to Berlin in 2010, which accelerated an ongoing exodus of editors and authors. Still, they had a pretty good year in 2012 -- until recently -- including getting 3 Suhrkamp novels shortlisted for German Book Prize 2012.
Some might say Unseld-Berkéwicz treats Suhrkamp like her own private fiefdom, to do with as she pleases; unfortunately for her, it's not entirely hers to do so: there's a (major) minority shareholder in the enterprise, Medienholding AG Winterthur, and Hans Barlach, who control 39% of the company. The two sides -- UU-B and Barlach -- have been at loggerheads (and involved in litigation) for years now, ever since Barlach came on board (and has been kept at arm's length by UU-B) in 2006, and things came to a head with a recent court decision in favor of Barlach charging UU-B with misappropriation and misuse of corporate funds -- apparently she's been billing the company for the use of a really, really nice villa and stuff like that. Not only did the court agree, they apparently found UU-B's violations so egregious that they decreed she should be removed as publisher (i.e. head of the publishing house -- a position Barlach has apparently indicated he is after); she has appealed, and so for the moment the status quo remains ... the status quo -- but don't look for that to last.
This has been the talk of the German Feuilleton's for days now -- heaps of articles have appeared, from authors vociferously defending Suhrkamp's literary culture (slightly tattered, but still impressive) and denouncing what they see as money-man Barlach's destructive ambitions (see, for example, German statements by local favorites Volker Braun and Friederike Mayröcker (who calls Suhrkamp: "the most important publishing house in the Western world")), to attempts to dissect what is actually going on in this bizarre power-struggle. Many hailed the announcement that former German Culture Minister (and Rowohlt (and New York-based Metropolitan Books) publisher) Michael Naumann would act as mediator -- but given Naumann's previous derogatory remarks about Barlach that quickly proved to be a non-starter.
What happens next -- who knows ? That Suhrkamp continues to seethe in turmoil as it has since UU-B took over is surely incontestable; that Barlach isn't a good (in the literary sense) alternative equally clear. But I suppose to expect professional management and literary standards is simply beyond anyone currently working in publishing, regardless of the country and tradition. (A slight exaggeration -- a few houses seem to manage it -- but not much of one; American non-profits -- by definition amateurs -- of course don't qualify.)
love german books briefly had a look at this German Publishing Excitement but hasn't followed it closely; an article in The Bookseller (not freely accessible) noted the recent court decision, but doesn't seem to have followed up either. Stay tuned, however, this is a big, big story: Suhrkamp is the most storied German publisher and even if its stock has gone way down since Unself died the catastrophic potential here is a big, big deal.
Founded by Peter Suhrkamp in 1950, publishing house Suhrkamp -- German publisher of Hesse and Brecht (cash-cows that long subsidized operations), Thomas Bernhard, Peter Handke, and foreign authors such as Samuel Beckett -- has long been an intellectual powerhouse; as they proudly note in their house-history, in 1973 George Steiner himself coined the concept of a 'Suhrkamp-culture', writing in the TLS about:
‚the Suhrkamp culture‘ which now dominates so much of German high literacy and intellectual ranking. Almost singlehandedly, by force of cultural-political vision and technical acumen, the publishing firm of Suhrkamp has created a modern philosophic canon.That was in 1973. Siegfried Unseld had taken over the house as heir to Suhrkamp in 1959; he led the house -- impressively -- until his death in 2002. His heir was his (second, and often considered trophy -- he was born in 1924, she in 1948 ... --) wife, Ulla Unseld-Berkéwicz -- and things have ... not gone uphill since then.
Unseld-Berkéwicz already rankled with her insistence on moving the fabled house from Frankfurt/Main to Berlin in 2010, which accelerated an ongoing exodus of editors and authors. Still, they had a pretty good year in 2012 -- until recently -- including getting 3 Suhrkamp novels shortlisted for German Book Prize 2012.
Some might say Unseld-Berkéwicz treats Suhrkamp like her own private fiefdom, to do with as she pleases; unfortunately for her, it's not entirely hers to do so: there's a (major) minority shareholder in the enterprise, Medienholding AG Winterthur, and Hans Barlach, who control 39% of the company. The two sides -- UU-B and Barlach -- have been at loggerheads (and involved in litigation) for years now, ever since Barlach came on board (and has been kept at arm's length by UU-B) in 2006, and things came to a head with a recent court decision in favor of Barlach charging UU-B with misappropriation and misuse of corporate funds -- apparently she's been billing the company for the use of a really, really nice villa and stuff like that. Not only did the court agree, they apparently found UU-B's violations so egregious that they decreed she should be removed as publisher (i.e. head of the publishing house -- a position Barlach has apparently indicated he is after); she has appealed, and so for the moment the status quo remains ... the status quo -- but don't look for that to last.
This has been the talk of the German Feuilleton's for days now -- heaps of articles have appeared, from authors vociferously defending Suhrkamp's literary culture (slightly tattered, but still impressive) and denouncing what they see as money-man Barlach's destructive ambitions (see, for example, German statements by local favorites Volker Braun and Friederike Mayröcker (who calls Suhrkamp: "the most important publishing house in the Western world")), to attempts to dissect what is actually going on in this bizarre power-struggle. Many hailed the announcement that former German Culture Minister (and Rowohlt (and New York-based Metropolitan Books) publisher) Michael Naumann would act as mediator -- but given Naumann's previous derogatory remarks about Barlach that quickly proved to be a non-starter.
What happens next -- who knows ? That Suhrkamp continues to seethe in turmoil as it has since UU-B took over is surely incontestable; that Barlach isn't a good (in the literary sense) alternative equally clear. But I suppose to expect professional management and literary standards is simply beyond anyone currently working in publishing, regardless of the country and tradition. (A slight exaggeration -- a few houses seem to manage it -- but not much of one; American non-profits -- by definition amateurs -- of course don't qualify.)
love german books briefly had a look at this German Publishing Excitement but hasn't followed it closely; an article in The Bookseller (not freely accessible) noted the recent court decision, but doesn't seem to have followed up either. Stay tuned, however, this is a big, big story: Suhrkamp is the most storied German publisher and even if its stock has gone way down since Unself died the catastrophic potential here is a big, big deal.