Der Esperantist
Encyclopedia
Der Esperantist was, from 1965 to 1990, the official newsletter of the East German Esperanto movement.
After organizing the Esperanto movement in the former East Germany, under the aegis of the quasi-governmental Cultural Association (Kulturbund), the new Centra Laborrondo de Esperanto-Amikoj ("Central Workers' Circle of Friends of Esperanto") began publishing the bilingual Der Esperantist in the A5
format.
Over the years the Esperanto-language content increased, and the number of German articles declined. The newsletter was edited by a committee, but the chief editors were Eugen Menger (from issue 1 in 1965 to issue 42 in 1970) and Detlev Blanke
(from issue 43 in 1970 through issue 164 in 1990). Including a German-language special edition for the 1987 centennial of Esperanto, 165 issues were published (many of which appeared as double numbers spanning two months) with a total of 3,728 pages over the entire print run. Issue 163 of Der Esperantist (1990) contained a cumulative index of articles
.
The print run was generally 4,000 to 5,000 copies, half of which were mailed to subscribers in East Germany. The remainder of the copies were shipped in bulk to other countries which had no local Esperanto publications, as well as to the Soviet Union
, where there was interest in the newsletter. Numerous copies were also sent in free exchange for Esperanto publications from other countries. The newsletter was typographically modest
and frequently was delayed in publication, but the collected copies of Der Esperantist are now important for the historiography
of the GDREA, particularly as the published articles have now been indexed in depth in two slim volumes:
An essay on Der Esperantist can also be found in Torsten Bendias's "El la vivo de GDR: der esperantist (1965 bis 1990)" in Simone Barck, Martina Langermann and Siegfried Lokatis, Zwischen 'Mosaik' und 'Einheit': Zeitschriften in der DDR. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin, 1999, pp. 202 - 213.
After organizing the Esperanto movement in the former East Germany, under the aegis of the quasi-governmental Cultural Association (Kulturbund), the new Centra Laborrondo de Esperanto-Amikoj ("Central Workers' Circle of Friends of Esperanto") began publishing the bilingual Der Esperantist in the A5
A5
A5, A05, A 5, A V or A-5 may refer to:* A5 paper size, an ISO 216 international standard paper size * A5 pod, a name given to a group of orcas found off the coast of British Columbia, Canada...
format.
Over the years the Esperanto-language content increased, and the number of German articles declined. The newsletter was edited by a committee, but the chief editors were Eugen Menger (from issue 1 in 1965 to issue 42 in 1970) and Detlev Blanke
Detlev Blanke
Detlev Blanke is an interlinguistics lecturer at Humboldt University of Berlin. He is one of Germany's most active Esperanto philologists and has been since 1991 both the chair of the Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik and the editor of its newsletter, Interlinguistische Informationen...
(from issue 43 in 1970 through issue 164 in 1990). Including a German-language special edition for the 1987 centennial of Esperanto, 165 issues were published (many of which appeared as double numbers spanning two months) with a total of 3,728 pages over the entire print run. Issue 163 of Der Esperantist (1990) contained a cumulative index of articles
Index (publishing)
An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
.
The print run was generally 4,000 to 5,000 copies, half of which were mailed to subscribers in East Germany. The remainder of the copies were shipped in bulk to other countries which had no local Esperanto publications, as well as to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, where there was interest in the newsletter. Numerous copies were also sent in free exchange for Esperanto publications from other countries. The newsletter was typographically modest
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
and frequently was delayed in publication, but the collected copies of Der Esperantist are now important for the historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
of the GDREA, particularly as the published articles have now been indexed in depth in two slim volumes:
- Linde Knöschke and Ino KolbeIno KolbeIno Kolbe , born as Ino Voigt, was a German Esperantist. Both she and her brother Holdo Voigt learned Esperanto from birth....
: der esperantist 1 (1965) - 164 (1990). Register. Teil I. (Index, part 1) (Ed. Detlev BlankeDetlev BlankeDetlev Blanke is an interlinguistics lecturer at Humboldt University of Berlin. He is one of Germany's most active Esperanto philologists and has been since 1991 both the chair of the Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik and the editor of its newsletter, Interlinguistische Informationen...
), Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik e. V. (GIL), Berlin, 1997, 120 pp. - Ino Kolbe: der esperantist 1 (1965) - 164 (1990). Register Teil II. (Index, part 2) (Ed. Detlev BlankeDetlev BlankeDetlev Blanke is an interlinguistics lecturer at Humboldt University of Berlin. He is one of Germany's most active Esperanto philologists and has been since 1991 both the chair of the Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik and the editor of its newsletter, Interlinguistische Informationen...
), Arbeitsgruppe Geschichte des Esperanto-Verbandes der DDR, Berlin, 1998, 120 pp.
An essay on Der Esperantist can also be found in Torsten Bendias's "El la vivo de GDR: der esperantist (1965 bis 1990)" in Simone Barck, Martina Langermann and Siegfried Lokatis, Zwischen 'Mosaik' und 'Einheit': Zeitschriften in der DDR. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin, 1999, pp. 202 - 213.