Ulrich Berkes: Eine schlimme Liebe

GDR Bulletin
Volume 14
Issue 2 Fall
Article 12
1988
Ulrich Berkes: Eine schlimme Liebe
John Brawner
Washington University
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Recommended Citation
Brawner, John (1988) "Ulrich Berkes: Eine schlimme Liebe," GDR Bulletin: Vol. 14: Iss. 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.4148/gdrb.v14i2.863
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llem
Brawner: Ulrich Berkes: Eine schlimmeaLiebe
aufgäbe, s e t z e n s i c h h i n u n d s c h r e i b e n w a s , m a c h m a l i n
forscher
Briefoder Depeschenform,
an die A u f t r a g geber gerichtet;
m a n c h m a l ist das Resultat aber auch
e i n " K r a m e n i n Fächern", e i n K r a m e n , d a s h i n u n d
w i e d e r e i n bißchen d a s T h e m a v e r f e h l t .
31 G e s c h i c h t e n , d a s s i n d 31 A u t o r e n , d i e , w i e d a s
N a c h w o r t feststellt, " m i t w e n i g e n A u s n a h m e n — i n d e n
Siebziger
Jahren m i t eigenen
Bänden debütierten u n d
seither i h r e n Platz i m E n s e m b l e d e r D D R - P r o s a , s p e z i ell d e r K u r z p r o s a e i n n e h m e n . " E s würde z u w e i t führen,
die
31 N a m e n
aufzuzählen,
vielleicht
genügt
es z u
s a g e n , daß z w e i D r i t t e l d e r N a m e n i m W e s t e n b e k a n n t
s i n d , e i n D r i t t e l eher u n b e k a n n t — eine gute M i s c h u n g .
Was d i e s e A n t h o l o g i e a b e r v o r a l l e m v o n i h r e n A r t g e nossen abhebt,
ist d i e d u r c h w e g
gediegene,
verschiedene M a l e sogar hervorragende
Qualität d e r G e s c h i c h t e n . I n " Z w i s c h e n d e n Stühlen" g r e i f t J o a c h i m W a i t h e r
das T h e m a d e s a u s g e b r a n n t e n Künstlers a u f , f r o n t a l e r
existentieller A n g s t , das er g e s c h i c k t m i t d e n T h e m e n
des N e u a n f a n g s
(neue F a m i l i e , neues
Haus)
u n d der
Freundschaft verquickt. A x e l Schulze i n " A n der E n d station"
sieht
die
Lebensmitte
(schon
Endstation?)
d u r c h d i e A u g e n eines B e s o f f e n e n . In H e l g a Königsdorfs
" G e w i t t e r " entlädt s i c h e i n F r a u e n s c h i c k s a l i n w e n i g e n
Minuten,
u n d Helga Schuberts "Ansprache einer
Verstorbenen
an
die
Trauergemeinde"
erinnert
an
Aichingers
"Spiegelgeschichte."
Joochen
Laabs
stöbert
einem verlorenen
K a r t o n nach, der ironischerweise i n
seiner
völligen
Wertlosigkeit
gleichzeitig
Symbol
für
den Wertgehalt des gelebten L e b e n s u n d s o m i t a u c h des
noch z u lebenden
Lebens
ist. P e t e r
G o s s e stellt B e t r a c h t u n g e n z u r M i t t e des L e b e n s i n e i n e m abgelegenen
syrischen D o r f a n "am A r s c h der Welt", d e n n , so Gosse,
" E r w a c h s e n u n d a l s o i n s e i n e M i t t e g e l a n g t i s t , w e r aus
d e r M i t t e , a l s d i e s i c h d a s K i n d fühlt, h e r a u s i s t . E r s t
ihrer Randlage
inne ist M e n s c h h e i t M i t t e . "
Irgendwie
ist d i e s e r letzte S a t z d i e Q u i n t e s s e n z d e s g a n z e n
Bandes.
G e n a u s o w e n i g w i e i c h d i e 31 N a m e n aufzählen k o n n te, k a n n i c h a l l e '31 G e s c h i c h t e n R e v u e p a s s i e r e n l a s s e n . B l e i b t n o c h z u s a g e n , daß d a s B u c h a m E n d e u n d
als w e s e n t l i c h e s H i l f s m i t t e l für d e n G e r m a n i s t e n b i o b i bliographische
Hinweise
zu
den
einzelnen
Autoren
b r i n g t . U n d l e t z t e n E n d e s a u c h , daß N a m e n w i e J u r e k
Becker
u n d Wolfgang
H i l b i g vertreten
sind. Alles in
Published by New Prairie Press, 1988
e m p f i e h l t s i c h d i e A n t h o l o g i e d u r c h das d u r c h w e g
hohe
Niveau
d e r Geschichten, ihre Breite
u n d eine
interessante
Thematik.
Sie
steht
der
vorzüglichen
Sammlung von Manfred Jendryschick Alfons auf dem
Dach
i n n i c h t s n a c h u n d ist d e n Z e i t g e n o s s e n
des
Schriftstellerverbandes,
d i e öde
VEB-Werkhallenromant i k v e r b r e i t e n , h a u s h o c h überlegen.
Fritz König
University of Northern Iowa
Eine
schlimme
Liebe.
By Ulrich
Berkes.
W e i m a r : A u f b a u - V e r l a g , 1 9 8 7 , 2 9 7 pages.
Berlin
and
I n 1 9 8 4 U l r i c h B e r k e s ( b . 1936) d i v u l g e d i n a p o e m
entitled "Übertriebenes
Selbstporträt": " I c h führe
tagebuch,
n i c h t z u m veröffentlichen."
F o u r years
later,
h o w e v e r , B e r k e s has r e v e r s e d h i s v i e w o n p r i v a c y a n d
extends
an intimate self-portrait
with Eine
schlimme
L i e b e , a c o l l e c t i o n o f d i a r y e n t r i e s f o r the y e a r s 1984
and 1985.
A l o n g w i t h t h e e n t r i e s is a d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n o f B e r k e s ' f a s c i n a t i o n w i t h the l i f e a n d w o r k s
of
the F r e n c h poet Isidore
Ducasse (1846-70),
better
k n o w n as L a u t r e a m o n t .
T h e diary follows two m a i n
l i n e s : t h e f i r s t i n c l u d e s f a c t s a n d dates f r o m
Lautreamont's
biography,
a l o n g w i t h B e r k e s ' r e a t i o n to " L e s
c h a n t s d e M a l d o r o r , " passages o f w h i c h he q u o t e s at
length; the s e c o n d r e v o l v e s a r o u n d the mostly m u n d a n e ,
everyday events o f B e r k e s ' life w i t h his f r i e n d M a r t i n ,
to w h o m t h e b o o k is d e d i c a t e d .
N o t infrequently do
these
two
courses
intersect
or
r u n parallel
to o n e
a n o t h e r , as B e r k e s a t t e m p t s to d o c u m e n t the l i f e a n d
literary
endeavors
of
Lautreamont
and himself,
both
chronically i l l , both homosexual, both outsiders.
Just
as L a u t r e a m o n t ' s w o r k s w e r e m e t w i t h s k e p t i c i s m ( o r
s h o c k ) d u r i n g h i s l i f e t i m e , B e r k e s o f t e n a l l u d e s to h i s
o w n r e c e p t i o n , n o t a b l y w h e n h e a s k s : " M e r k t m a n , daß
ich einen ganz kunstlosen Stil schreibe?
Die Akademie
der
Künste
wird
m i c h n i e als o r d e n t l i c h e s
Mitglied
nehmen."
Indeed, some G D R reviewers might f i n d E i n e
schlimme
Liebe
anything
but ordentlich, judging
by
w h a t t h e c e n s o r has d e e m e d
obscene or licentious i n
the past.
I n h i s d i a r y B e r k e s d e s c r i b e s aspects o f a
47
1
46
GDR Bulletin, Vol. 14 [1988], Iss. 2, Art. 12
low-key
h o m o s e x u a l "scene" i n East B e r l i n , traces the
e t y m o l o g y a n d p r a c t i c e o f o n a n i s m , r e p o r t s o n v i s i t s to
F K K
beaches,
a n d wonders
aloud about
Lautremont's
sexual practices, a l l subjects perhaps too b a w d y f o r the
more p r i m A c a d e m y members.
W i t h r e g a r d to s e x u a l
m a t t e r s , B e r k e s p o i n t s o u t t h a t t h e t i m e h a s c o m e to
consider the thoughts o f one o f L a u t r e a m o n t ' s p r o m i nent
contemporaries,
Friedrich Engels,
w h o i n 1883
d e c l a r e d : " E s w i r d n a c h g e r a d e Z e i t , daß w e n i g s t e n s d i e
deutschen A r b e i t e r s i c h gewöhnen, v o n D i n g e n , d i e sie
täglich o d e r
nächtlich s e l b s t t r e i b e n , v o n natürlichen,
unentbehrlichen
und
äußerst
vergnüglichen
Dingen
ebenso unbefangen
z u sprechen
wie die romanischen
Völker, w i e H o m e r u n d Plato, wie H o r a z u n d J u v e n a l
wie das A l t e Testament u n d d i e ' N e u e R h e i n i s c h e Z e i t ung'."
In line w i t h E n g e l s , B e r k e s does not s h y away
from
sketching
his
nocturnal
pleasures,
be
these
dreams,
fantasies,
or
reality,
and
relates
such
experiences i n modest, almost inconspicuous terms.
For
all
this,
Berkes'
diary
is
readable;
unfortunately,
he
includes
the driest
details
of
an
o t h e r w i s e u n e v e n t f u l A l l t a g , m a n y o f w h i c h b u r d e n the
reader's endurance.
O n e c a n n o t be e x a c t l y b o r e d b y
Eine schlimme Liebe, but neither c a n one enthusiastically recommend it.
John Brawner
Washington University
Die Summe. E i n e Begebenheit. B y H e r m a n n K a n t .
Rütten u n d L o e n i n g , 1 9 8 7 , 174 p a g e s .
Berlin:
T h e f i r s t - p e r s o n n a r r a t o r o f K a n t ' s s h o r t n o v e l tells
about
his participation i n a culture conference
that
was o r g a n i z e d
b y the s i g n a t o r y states o f t h e H e l s i n k i
Accords a n d held i n Budapest.
C h i e f o f the "Schöpferisches
Büro"
i n the G D R ' s
foreign
office,
Hans
Schleede
represents
his c o u n t r y
in
the
introductory
sessions i n w h i c h d i p l o m a t s e x p e r i m e n t a l l y s i m u l a t e t h e
running
of
a
new
autonomous
organization
called
KUSTIPEST.
L a t e r , a r t i s t s a r e to r e p l a c e t h e d i p l o mats a n d r u n t h e a g e n c y t h e m s e l v e s .
The seemingly
simple
colleagues
is c o m p l i c a t e d
http://newprairiepress.org/gdr/vol14/iss2/12
DOI: 10.4148/gdrb.v14i2.863
task f a c i n g S c h l e e d e a n d h i s
b y the p o l i t i c a l d i v e r s i t y
of
48
the
participant
nations,
representing
in addition
to
NATO
a n d the Warsaw
Pact
n e u t r a l states s u c h as
Switzerland, Finland, and Austria.
A s a result, the
conference
q u i c k l y splits into three blocks.
Thus i n
o r d e r t o d e t e r m i n e " w h i c h n a t i o n s a r e to b e r e p r e s e n t e d
i n the n i n e - m e m b e r steering b o a r d , the participants are
f o r c e d t o a c c o r d e a c h b l o c k t h r e e slots a n d to a l l o w
e a c h b l o c k to e l e c t i t s o w n d e l e g a t e s .
O n c e s u c h k e y o p e r a t i o n a l matters are sorted o u t ,
the d i p l o m a t s m a k e r o o m f o r t h e a r t i s t s , a n d S c h l e e d e ,
f a t i g u e d b y t h e o f t e n senseless w r a n g l i n g a b o u t m a t t e r s
of little substance, heads f o r home.
So f a r so g o o d .
B u t this simple retelling o f the
p l o t says l i t t l e a b o u t t h e n o v e l ' s t r u e c h a r a c t e r .
Die
Summe exudes none of the embattled o p t i m i s m evident
in K a n t ' s earlier works.
C h a i r o f the W r i t e r s U n i o n
f o r m a n y y e a r s a n d a u t h o r o f r e s p e c t e d n o v e l s s u c h as
D i e A u l a a n d D a s I m p r e s s u m . K a n t here takes a i m at
the
s a d status o f
culture-state
relations
h e sees i n
both the G D R a n d the West.
G o v e r n m e n t s s e n d to
KUSTIPEST
respresentatives
who
conform
to
what
culture
administrators a n d bureaucrats imagine
to b e
purveyors of good art.
T h u s t h e U n i t e d States d e l e gate is a l i t e r a t u r e m a n a g e r w h o m a d e h i s n a m e p u b lishing
the magazine
Reader's
Diet,
a collection
of
easily digestible prose.
A n d t h e G D R ' s d e l e g a t e is a
little-known
manager
of
an obscure
puppet
theater.
(The
choice
of a puppeteer
probably
reflects
Kant's
experience
of
h o w his government
handles
its o w n
culture.)
B o t h East a n d West, Schleede muses, e n v i s i o n
a c u l t u r e that
is " A k z e p t a b e l
v o n Island bis M a l t a ,
einleuchtend
i m Weißen
Haus
und am Roten
Platz,
w e r t v o l l n a c h Vorsitzendenmaß u n d v o n K a n z l e r n a u c h "
(163).
A l a s , K a n t ' s d i s m a y about the i n i m i c a l i n t r u s i o n o f
the state i n t o c u l t u r e is o v e r s h a d o w e d
by his cliched
characterization
of
the
participants
in
EUROCULT.
T h u s the c r e w - c u t
A m e r i c a n representative
M r . Fullbacker,
w h o repeatedly
confuses
G D R a n d F R G , is
f o r e v e r p u l l i n g o u t a l a p t o p c o m p u t e r to c l a r i f y w h i c h
c o u n t r y belongs to w h a t b l o c k .
Schleede describes the
A u s t r i a n d e l e g a t e as a " W a g n e r - S ä n g e r i n " (33) a n d a n
"üppige Schönheit," ( 1 0 2 ) w h i l e t h e w o m a n
representing
G r e e c e is o f " e d e l s t e r G e s t a l t " ( 4 0 ) .
Holland's representative
is a n e x e m p l a r
o f "seeluftgereifter
Weiblich49
2