by Peter Weiss
Afterword to the New Berlin Edition
The New Berlin Edition of The Aesthetics of Resistance is intended as a definitive version, one which follows the vision of the author as closely as possible. The version of Peter Weiss’s “once-in-a-century novel” that was left at the time of his premature death stands as an authentic expression of his intentions and as an enduring testament to his position in history. The problem, however, was that there were two divergent versions. The fact that the Berlin Edition is generally viewed as an Ausgabe letzter Hand [a definitive version of a text edited personally by the author—JS] is a product of its publication date. Its first edition was published in 1983 by Henschelverlag, in East Berlin. The author had also heavily revised this publication, and he described the third volume of this edition as a “re-creation” of his original intentions. In the production of the Frankfurt Edition—the volumes of which were released in 1975, 1978, and 1981 by Suhrkamp Verlag—there had been significant conflict between the author and the publisher. The textual interventions of the Suhrkamp editor were a cause of great concern for Peter Weiss. He felt that his relationship with the German language was being questioned. There were perplexed and bitter letters; harsh words were exchanged. Siegfried Unseld was unwilling to retract the editorial revisions to the extent that Weiss desired. Though Weiss stressed that he was very happy to take on many of the editor’s suggestions, he felt that his “dynamic, rebellious, sculptural personal style” was being flattened out to an unacceptable extent by the countless corrections. He felt “disempowered” by the publisher.
In the GDR, the publication of the novel was approved in the spring of 1981. The publication was preceded by protracted discussions about the novel’s depictions of the debates over Communist strategy and tactics and of the catastrophic course of events in the Soviet Union. These discussions involved some of the highest figures in the regime and took place behind closed doors. The possibilities of removing sections or of altering the text were briefly discussed but never seriously considered. Since the agreement with the licensor allowed for the text to be retypeset, Weiss was able to regain full control over his text. Unbeholden to restrictions in terms of corrections or typesetting costs, he was able to arrange the novel to reflect his original intentions. He made particular use of this opportunity in the third volume.
For the New Berlin Edition, the following textual sources were consulted:
— Peter Weiss, Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, vols. 1–3, with an afterword by Manfred Haiduk. Licensed for the GDR. East Berlin: Henschelverlag, 1983. The text of the second print run of this edition (dated 1987) is identical with the first.
— Peter Weiss, Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, vol. 3. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1981. Annotated with handwritten and dated corrections by the author: “Final corrections in accordance with original manuscript for new edition PW 22 July 1981.” Located in the Akademie der Künste Berlin, Peter Weiss Archive, PWA 1752.
— Peter Weiss, Die Ästhetik des Widerstands, vol. 1. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1976. Annotated with handwritten and typed corrections by the author, dated shortly after December 12, 1975. Originally from the scholarly estate of Günther Schütz. Located in the Akademie der Künste Berlin, Peter Weiss Archive, PWA 5572.
