Chronologie, Schichtung, Korrektur: Heiner Müllers Nachlass als Herausforderung seines eigenen Werkverständnisses

Abstract

The article critically relates Heiner Müller’s publication strategies on the one hand and considerations on his conception of his work, his writing processes and his text production on the other hand. Thereby, the following remarks are intended to show that Müller’s statements about his ‘work’ on the one hand and his writing procedures and text production on the other hand cannot be reconciled. A critical edition of his texts must therefore decide whether it attempts to do justice either to Müller’s understanding of authorship and work or to his writing practice. This contradiction is clarified by means of three categories that have been profiled at least since the publication of Gunter Martens’ and Hans Zeller’s important anthology Texte und Varianten ( Texts and Variants ) more than 50 years ago. The focus is on ‘chronology’ (‚Chronologie‘). In addition, ‘layering’ (‚Schichtung‘) and ‘correction’ (‚Korrektur‘) are considered.