The two plays Heiner Müller published under the title Germania Tod in Berlin  [Germania Death in Berlin, written 1956/1971, published 1977] and Germania 3 Gespenster am toten Mann [Germania 3 Ghosts at The Dead Man, written1990/1995, published 1996] are like two gigantic Gothic bookends marking the beginning and end of his work.  The origins of the first Germania date back to 1951 and the first sketches for Die Schlacht; the text of Germania Tod in Berlin was substantially complete by 1971, but it was another six years before it was published and then produced a year later (premiere at the Münchner Kammerspiele in 1978).  Critics did not realise at the time that it was not so much a new beginning as a delayed eruption of the author's lifelong preoccupation...

1709 words

Citation: Knapp, Gerhard P., John Milfull. "Germania Tod in Berlin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 March 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14464, accessed 05 December 2025.]