Aesthetics and pathology of Hafez reception in Germany and the German-speaking countries: Range, depth, ups and downs

The comparison of two literary geniuses, Hafez and Goethe, and the works inspired by them in the literature of German-speaking countries from a linguistic-cultural point of view has been the subject of numerous scientific-literary writings since the 19th century. But, beyond the unending praise of these writers, critical considerations in this regard are constantly hidden from view. The present analytic-qualitative library-based research intends, in the light of existing German translations of Hafez such as the researches based on Hafez studies in the mentioned linguistic areas, to take a critical-analytical and different look at the dimensions, ups and downs of the processes such as reception, reading and literary-scientific study of Hafez and its pathology in the German-speaking countries. Therefore, the starting point is the explanation of the whatness of Hafez's poetry, its conception and influences on the German-speaking readership at all times. This is then continued through the motives, depths, and persistence of the mentioned influences on different levels such as time, place, aesthetic problems, and is elucidated with reference to renowned German-speaking writers influenced by Hafez's poetry. The findings indicate the fluctuating trajectory of Hafez reception in German literature (from peak to decline), as a result of paradigm shifts of Orientalism. In the following, the reasons for these shifts will be discussed, as well as the interest of Persian speakers in continuing to reflect themselves from the Western perspective through multiple translations of works influenced by Hafez, which represents more or less the only achievement of contemporary German Hafez studies.