Klaus Theweleit is a German sociologist and writer.
Theweleit studied German studies and English studies in Kiel and Freiburg. From 1969-1972, he worked as a freelancer for a public radio station (Südwestfunk).
His book Männerphantasien (1977); translated as Male Fantasies (1987), a study of the fascist consciousness in general and the bodily experience of these former soldiers in particular, easily detected in their hatefilled, near-illiterate books, was well received and much discussed.
Theweleit writes in a non orthodox, highly personal and associative style. His book are heavily illustrated with cartoons, advertisements, engravings, posters and artwork.
Theweleit lives in Freiburg, he teaches in Germany, the United States, Switzerland, and Austria. He was a lecturer at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Freiburg and lecturer at the film academy in Berlin. From 1998 until retirement he was a professor for "art and theory" at the Staatlichen Akademie für Bildende Künste, the art college, at Karlsruhe.
Aus dem Regal gekramt, jetzt wo Theweleit wegen der Neuauflage seiner "Männerphanatasien" wieder im Gespräch ist. - Ein Lieblingsbuch, vielfach gelesen, insbesondere die Passage über das richtige Finden des falschen Partners. Für mich in den 1990er Jahren ein Augenöffner und immer noch überaus anregend.
Really loved the short biography of Freud's own libidinal struggles. Apart from that, it's too fragmentary to stand on it's own. Very interesting interpretations though.
In some ways frustrating. There are some fascinating ideas — and when he is narrating them through Freud’s life, Thewelweit’s arguments really sing. But — and maybe it is because I am not that familiar with modern German literature? — I find the choppy nature of the prose irritating. His constant stylistic interruptions can become tiresome and confusing as you plod through a book that is more parts than a concrete whole.