15 February 2024

75 years of SINN UND FORM

Founded in 1949 and published by the Akademie der Künste since 1950, the magazine SINN UND FORM is celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary this year. The internationally renowned periodical is considered to be the most important German-language literary journal. In addition to debuts and articles by recognised authors, it also presents archive finds, especially from the archives of the Akademie der Künste, and regularly features forgotten or yet-to-be-discovered writers. The wealth of genres, the diversity of topics, the surprising compilations and the careful composition of issues make for the unique profile of the magazine, whose layout relies entirely on words – and has not been changed since its foundation. SINN UND FORM is one of the few journalistic formats that originated in the GDR and still exists today. The publication of this tradition-steeped journal is an essential part of the Akademie der Künste's mission to promote art and culture in Germany.

As a bimonthly magazine, SINN UND FORM is not involved in up-to-the-minute discussions, but in its own way intervenes in current debates. Its articles respond to controversial topics with literature, old and new voices shape their very own relationships and engage in a dialogue with each other. “A new intellectual world is emerging from these neighbourhoods and contemporary cooperatives.” (Durs Grünbein, member of the Akademie der Künste) Especially in times of emotionally charged writing and irritable reactions, SINN UND FORM's consistency signifies an intellectual position that eludes the formation of camps and stays open for ambiguity and unpredictability.