Friedrich Torberg era (1954–1965) In 1966, 12 years after the foundation of
FORVM, publications including
The New York Times,
Ramparts, and
Saturday Evening Post reported that the magazine's funding came from the U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), with the aim of undermining leftist groups of intellectuals around the world and turning them against
communism as part of the
Cultural Cold War. The CIA website states that "[t]he Congress for Cultural Freedom is widely considered one of the CIA's more daring and effective Cold War covert operations." Other magazines funded by the CCF included
Der Monat in Western Berlin,
Preuves in Paris,
Tempo Presente in Rome,
Cuadernos in Paris,
Encounter in London, as well as
Freedom First in Bombay,
Solidarity in the Philippines,
Quadrant in Australia,
Hiwar (magazine) in Lebanon,
Examen in Mexico, and others. he nevertheless succeeded - using
FORVM as a weapon - to force all major Austrian theaters to boycott the plays of
Bertolt Brecht, an avowed Marxist. This lasted until 23 February 1963, when the
Wiener Volkstheater dared to stage
Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder. Although the magazine focused mainly on theater and literature,
FORVM also printed notable dialogues between church and state, discourses between the dominating ideologies of the time, and important texts on social sciences. But the rigid and fierce
anti-communism of Torberg increasingly became a problem to the magazine's sponsors, who repeatedly warned the editor, then limited their funding in 1961, then finally stopped support entirely in 1964. When the new financier of
FORVM, Hans Deutsch, also pulled back in 1965, Torberg decided to give up his position. Nenning, who had served as editor-in-chief since 1958, became the new owner and editor.
Günther Nenning era (1966–1986) Günther Nenning declared himself to be a "Christian and socialist," and opened
FORVM to leftist thoughts and ideas. Due to Torberg's opposition to this change, Nenning had to rename the magazine to
NEUES FORVM (New Forvm) until Torberg died in 1979. Nenning raised the circulation from 2,700 to nearly 30,000. When the magazine published
de Sade's
Philosophy in the Bedroom in 1970, with commentary by Michael Siegert, the
Ministry of the Interior reacted harshly, confiscating the magazine. This step was later declared unconstitutional, leading to the end of government censorship in Austria. The Nenning years were dominated by hearty discussions about Austria's constitution and neutrality, the
law of nature,
Vergangenheitsbewältigung, the
sexual revolution,
Viennese Actionism, and
terrorism. From 1973 to 1982 Michael Siegert served as editor-in-chief. Even more than Torberg or Nenning before him, Siegert heavily adapted some of the articles
FORVM printed, thereby angering some authors. Nenning formally kept his position as owner and editor, but from 1973 on the magazine was published by an "association of the journalists and employees." In 1982, Gerhard Oberschlick took over as editor-in-chief, but was dismissed by Nenning in 1984 for insubordinate behavior. The main points of controversy were Nennings' cooperation with conservative publicists and politicians, as well as the secret funding of the
Konrad Lorenz Referendum by
Hans Dichand and his
Kronen Zeitung. Nenning consequently established
FORVM as the voice of the fundamental green movement, and the circulation dropped dramatically (to 1,700), putting
FORVM close to bankruptcy. In 1985 Nenning was expelled from the
union and the
Social Democratic Party of Austria. In 1986 he sold the magazine to Gerhard Oberschlick.
Gerhard Oberschlick era (1986–1995) The new editor quickly had to reposition the magazine.
Rule of law and
human rights became central issues,
Günther Anders the most prominent author. The circulation gained ground and reached up to 25.000. The presidency of
Kurt Waldheim and the constant flirting of
Jörg Haider with
Nazi ideology opened a wide field of discussion and controversy.
FORVM served as a stable lighthouse of
anti-fascism, avidly opposing any kind of
racism and
xenophobia. In 1992
Hans Lebert received the
Grillparzer Award, donated by German
Alfred Toepfer in German Marks. Although ill and not able to participate in the ceremony, Lebert wrote an ardent speech, red by actor Wolfgang Gasser, famous for his performance in a play by
Thomas Bernhard at the
Burgtheater. In it Lebert warned against the attempts of a new
Anschluss, culminating in the exclaim: "Austrians, save your country yourselves!" The speech caused a scandal, the German ambassador
Philipp Jenninger was upset and left early, and Oberschlick, who had printed the speech secretly, had it distributed - as a special issue of
FORVM - at the end of the ceremony at the
University of Vienna. == Relevant authors ==