Mujeres a la orilla del río

by Heinrich Böll

En esta novela, sin duda uno de los grandes títulos de la extensa obra de Heinrich Böll, las mujeres son las protagonistas, a un tiempo principales y secundarias, de un mundo que padecen, del que son sus primeras víctimas y del que inútilmente esperan poder huir algún día. La voz de las mujeres, garantes de la memoria y la historia, sirve a Böll para indagar en los resortes opresivos de la sociedad contemporánea y dibujar, a un tiempo y com o contraste inevitable, el valor perdurable e inviolable de la naturaleza humana.

Genres: Fiction, German Literature, Germany, Nobel Prize, Novels

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Der deutsche Schriftsteller und Übersetzer gilt als einer der bedeutendsten deutschen Autoren der Nachkriegszeit. Er schrieb Gedichte, Kurzgeschichten und Romane, von denen auch einige verfilmt wurden. Dabei setzte er sich kritisch mit der jungen Bundesrepublik auseinander. Zu seinen erfolgreichsten Werken zählen "Billard um halbzehn", "Ansichten eines Clowns" und "Gruppenbild mit Dame". Den Nobelpreis für Literatur bekam Heinrich Böll 1972; er war nach 43 Jahren der erste deutsche Schriftsteller, dem diese Auszeichnung zuteil wurde. 1974 erschien sein wohl populärstes Werk, "Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum". Durch sein politisches Engagement wirkte er, gemeinsam mit seinem Freund Lew Kopelew, auf die europäische Literatur der Nachkriegszeit. Darüber hinaus arbeitete Böll gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Annemarie als Herausgeber und Übersetzer englischsprachiger Werke ins Deutsche...

Heinrich Böll became a full-time writer at the age of 30. His first novel, Der Zug war pünktlich (The Train Was on Time), was published in 1949. Many other novels, short stories, radio plays, and essay collections followed. In 1972 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his writing which through its combination of a broad perspective on his time and a sensitive skill in characterization has contributed to a renewal of German literature." He was the first German-born author to receive the Nobel Prize since Hermann Hesse in 1946. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages, and he is one of Germany's most widely read authors.

Reviews

[مروان البلوشي · Rating 2 out of 5]

يحاول المجتمع الألماني أن ينسى وبإصرار آثار جرائمه بعد الحرب العالمية الثانية..ثم تبدأ وبشكل متسارع المعجزة الاقتصادية ويتدفق المال على الجميع..لكن هاينريش بلوم يصر على اكتشاف مشاعر الذنب والعدمية والآسى

[Eylül Görmüş · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Rüşvet alıyorlar, füzeler yağdırıyorlar, ölüme tapıyorlar – bunların hiçbiri yeni değil. Yeni olan şu: Kendilerini suçlu hissetmiyorlar."

Nobel Edebiyat Ödüllü Alman yazar Heinrich Böll'ün son kitabı "Nehir Kıyısı Kadınları", biraz alışık olduğumuz Böll, biraz değil. Her ne kadar roman olarak geçse de aslında oyun gibi yazılmış bir kitap bu, sadece uzun diyaloglardan oluşuyor. 1980ler Almanya'sında geçiyor eser, savaş sonrası kendini yeniden pozisyonlamış, yeni hükümette türlü görevler edinmiş, pek çoğu eski Nazi olan adamların ama daha çok da onların hikayelerinde belirleyici rol oynamakta olan kadınların öyküsü.

Burada daha önce çok kez söyledim, 1933-45 arası Almanya'sına dair okumaya bayılıyorum. Nazileri ve İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nı mümkün kılan kolektif delilik hali nasıl mümkün oldu, koca bir toplum nasıl böyle bir çılgınlığa sürüklenebildi, bu konuda yazılmış metinleri (kurgu veya kurgu dışı) çok ilgin buluyorum. Bu konuda epey büyük bir külliyat var, ama tabii işin bir de sonrası var. Özellikle çağdaş Alman edebiyatında elbette o devasa deneyimin izlerini bulmak mümkün ama savaş sonrasındaki Alman toplumunda olup bitenlere dair bu kadar spesifik bir metin hiç okumamıştım. O kıyametten nasıl bir yönetim çıktı, nasıl bir yozlaşmanın içinde buldu toplum kendini, görünürdeki yüzleşmenin ardında aslında nasıl çıkar mekanizmaları çalıştı... Böll bu kitapta bunları didikliyor.

Toplumsal yüzleşmenin dinamiklerine ve büyük travmaların ardından yaşanan ahlaki çöküntüye dair ilginç bir metin sonuçta bu. Biraz zor okunan ve odaklanmayı gerektiren bir kitap olduğunu da ekleyeyim. "Katharina Blum'un Çiğnenen Onuru", "Ademoğlu Neredeydin?" ve "Palyaço" kadar olmasa da sevdim kendisini. Böll külliyatında seyahatlerim sürecektir, arz ederim.

[Mohsen Rajabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

یکی از بهترین رمان هایی که این اواخر خواندم. واقعا خوب بود. نثر کتاب بسیار جذاب است به خصوص اگر خواندن رمانی سیاسی و راجع به تاریخ آلمان براتون جالب باشه.

[Robert Wechsler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have soured on extensive dialogue in novels; we get enough of it in drama, film, television, and life. Why can’t narrative be primarily narrative? (See my dialogue-free novel, Sandra Ives, Thomas Ives). But if you’re going to do dialogue, you might as well go all the way, as Heinrich Böll does in this "Novel in Dialogues and Soliloquies."

The first half is truly excellent. The dialogues and soliloquies of this closet drama are intelligent as they are entertaining. The second half is not quite as entertaining, despite and because there is some plot. The problem is that the number of characters greatly increases, and I found them and the details less interesting. But all in all, it’s a fine closet drama and last work by a fine writer.

[Yair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have nowhere to begin, so I'll just jump into something resembling coherency. Heinrich Boll was a writer I had only a passing acquaintance with (I remember ALMOST buying a copy of 'The Clown' in a used book shop in Jerusalem) and, for reasons I can't quite articulate I felt as though he'd be one of those 'great writers' that would always exist on the periphery for me. Again, I can't say why, it's all birthed from meaningless assumption, but my best guess would probably be that after reading so many other incredibly powerful writers (especially German and German languages ones) I guess I didn't think there could be yet another significant one.

And I was wrong. Reading this book, incidentally his final published novel before his death, was a singular experience, educational in states of mind I didn't think had their own schools. Basically, this book "Women in a River Landscape" is a near-treatise on ethical flexibility and moral ambiguity, and finally, an at times flip and at times determined resignation, that can only come with an advanced nation birthed from barbarism, having to deal with and accept the horrific sins of its not too remote past.

Boll, raised in a pacifist Catholic family in Cologne, occupied an interesting position in the German zeitgeist, then and now. True, he served in the army during World War II but unlike some like say Gunther Grass, he refused membership in the Hitler youth, and, after returning from war, seemed to maintain (so much as I could glean from biographical profiles here and there) a moral code and long memory that set him apart from many of his countryman. In a fascinating contrast to the likes of Mann and Hesse who also had 'qualms' with the Nazi government but left, Boll was conscripted and fought. This is reflected in "Women in a River Landscape" by, if nothing else, his relentlessly interior perspective, the idea tinging the entire setting and atmosphere of someone who was in the dirt and the shit of warfare, and knows first hand what it's like to fight a war and watch others die, and the weight that comes with survival.

There are moments in the text that are gorgeous. Darkly gorgeous, yes, nearly completely opaque and grimy from the moral turpitude, yes. But Boll has crafted an angry letter, a near sermon to his countryman with short memories, those who would so willingly forget or even profit from one of the darkest moments in human history for something as paltry and transient as momentary political gain. But the book's very much a product of the writer and his specific time and place. As such, it can be a bit off-putting to those who aren't as well versed in the German cultural and political scene of the time. Though a negative, it's only slight. What's said in this slim but powerful volume carries devastating relevance for any political leadership of any government with blood on its collective psyche...that is to say, all of them, now, ever always.

[Kai]

final Beethoven-counter: 18

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es ist schwer der Handlung zu folgen, weil einfach alles in Dialogen und Selbstgesprächen geschrieben ist und ich mich nicht gut genug mit der Geschichte auskenne, um alles zu verstehen. Aber Böll zeichnet ein interessantes und kritisches Bild der Nachkriegszeit.

[Maryam Hosseini · Rating 4 out of 5]

، به چشــم من ِ تهی، متروک می آمـد

... همانجا که جهـان زیبـاتر از هر جای دیگر بود




،اگر لازم شد عصبـانی شو، احمق شو، خشن شو
: اما یه چیز نشو
.متفرعن

[Sevim Tezel Aydın · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okuduğum ilk Heinrich Böll kitabı, sevdim…
Diyaloglar ve monologlar olarak kaleme alınmış roman, 1980’lerde Almanya'da geçiyor ve II. Dünya Savaşı sonrası dönemi sorguluyor. Ren kıyısında yaşayan seçkin politikacılar, yöneticiler, bankerler ve aristokratların hayatlarındaki kadınların gözüyle Alman yönetici elitine bakıp, çarpıcı bir toplumsal tabloyla ve yüzleşmeyle karşılaşıyoruz…
Böll Nazi geçmişini lanetlemiş, yeni ufuklara yelken açmış gözüken bu yönetici sınıfın aslında nasıl da eski kadrolar tarafından yönlendirildiğini, sınıf ve din bağlantılarını, gücün nasıl yozlaştığını, siyasi ve ekonomik çıkarlar uğruna yapılan riyakarlıkları çok güzel anlatmış. Özellikle de erkek karakterler “iş, şan ve kazanç” uğruna gözlerini kapatıp “başarıdan başarıya koşarken”, vicdani sorgulamayı kadınların yapması ve yaşananlara verdikleri tepkiler beni etkiledi. Galiba kural asırlardır aynı; haksızlığa dayanamayıp, sessizliğini bozan kadınlar önce “deli”, “geçimsiz” damgası yiyor, bir sonraki aşama ise ya tımarhane ya intihar…

[v · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stern accounting before the end

[Christopher Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to enjoy Boll's last work. Composed of long dialogues between the characters, much in the manner of a play and with a spattering of stage instructions, and soliloquies, where the characters speak or think to themselves, I was worried that too much would be expository and therefore dull, and that the rest would be mysterious and therefore confusing.

However, I let the first few pages wash over me, not worrying too much to keep track of the names mentioned, but rather to get a sense of the writing. I soon discovered I was enjoying myself, and before long I was hooked.

There is a sadness that runs through this tale of political and moral corruption in 1980s Germany; some of the characters seem to mean so well, yet are misled or make mistakes, and become distressed when they see the consequences of even their most inconsequential act. Further, the weight of history bears down relentlessly. By the end of the book I knew I was holding in my hands a minor masterpiece by a very deserved winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

[Delara H F · Rating 5 out of 5]

یک اثر خیلی متفاوت از هاینریش بل.
در تمام طول خواندن، از اولِ اول تا آخر لذت بردم. یک کتاب عاااااالی!

[Monique]

بعضی کتاب ها طاقت آدم را در هم میشکنند از بس کم درکشان میکنی
این آخرین اثر بل،بدین گونه بود برای من
البته شیوه روایت داستان،جالب بود و شاید برای من تنها عامل برای ادامه دادن بود

[IRENE EFREMIDIS, PhD · Rating 3 out of 5]

(English text follows)

Το Frauen vor Flußlandschaft ήταν απ΄ότι θυμάμαι, το τελευταίο έργο του Heinrich Böll. Εκδόθηκε το 1985 ότα βρισκόμουν στο δεύτερο έτος τω�� σπουδών μου στη Γερμανική Λογοτεχνία, οπότε ήταν Must να το διαβάσω, νομίζω μάλιστο ότι έκανα και εργασία πάνω σε αυτό. Ίσως είναι και το πιο ιδιόμορφο έργο του νομπελίστα συγγραφέα. Δεν το λες ένα «κανονικό» μυθιστόρημα· δεν υπάρχει γραμμική αφήγηση, αλλά μόνο διάλογοι και εσωτερικοί μονόλογοι, σαν να παρακολουθείς ένα θεατρικό έργο όπου οι φωνές διασταυρώνονται και σε καλούν να συνθέσεις μόνος σου την ιστορία.

Αυτό που με συγκίνησε ιδιαίτερα είναι οι γυναίκες στο κέντρο του βιβλίου. Γυναίκες πολιτικών και τραπεζιτών στη Βόννη, που πίσω από τη βιτρίνα της εξουσίας κουβαλάνε τη δική τους σιωπή, τα δικά τους τραύματα, και σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις διαλέγουν τον θάνατο αντί να συμβιβαστούν με την παρουσία των «παλιών Ναζί» στον κύκλο τους. Εκεί, μέσα στην απελπισία τους, γίνονται οι ηρωικές φιγούρες του βιβλίου.

Δεν είναι εύκολο ανάγνωσμα· μοιάζει με μωσαϊκό φωνών, που απαιτεί προσοχή και υπομονή. Όμως αυτό ακριβώς το κάνει μοναδικό. Σου αφήνει την αίσθηση ενός αποχαιρετισμού, σαν να ήταν το τελευταίο ηθικό και λογοτεχνικό σχόλιο του Böll για τη Γερμανία του 20ού αιώνα.

Το διάβασα στο πλαίσιο των σπουδών μου στη Γερμανική Λογοτεχνία και παρότι αρχικά μου φάνηκε δύσκολο, με σημάδεψε με τον τρόπο που συνδυάζει το πείραμα στη μορφή με τη βαθιά ηθική αγωνία. Για μένα είναι ένα τολμηρό και ανατρεπτικό έργο· ένα βιβλίο που ίσως δεν σε κερδίσει αμέσως με την πλοκή του, αλλά σε στοιχειώνει με τις φωνές του και με το πείσμα του συγγραφέα να συνεχίζει να ρωτάει τα δύσκολα ερωτήματα, μέχρι το τέλος.

___________________________

Frauen vor Flußlandschaft was, as far as I remember, the last work of Heinrich Böll. It was published in 1985, when I was in my second year of German Literature studies, so it was a must-read — I think I even wrote a paper on it. Perhaps it is also the most unusual of the Nobel laureate’s works. It is not a “conventional” novel: there is no linear narrative, only dialogues and interior monologues, as if one were watching a play where voices intersect and invite the reader to piece the story together.

What moved me most were the women at the centre of the book. Wives of politicians and bankers in Bonn, who behind the façade of power carry their own silence and their own wounds, and in some cases choose death rather than compromise with the presence of “old Nazis” in their circle. In their despair they become the true heroic figures of the novel.

It is not an easy read; it feels like a mosaic of voices that demands patience and attention. Yet this is precisely what makes it unique. It leaves the impression of a farewell, as though it were Böll’s final moral and literary commentary on twentieth-century Germany.

I first read it as part of my German Literature studies, and although at first I found it difficult, it marked me deeply in the way it combines formal experiment with profound moral urgency. For me it is a bold and unsettling work — a book that may not win you over immediately with its plot, but lingers with its voices and with the author’s persistence in asking the difficult questions, right to the very end.

[Henrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Den siste romanen skrevet av Heinrich Böll, og den første jeg leser av ham. "Roman" blir nesten feil sjanger å bruke, da den er skrevet like mye som et teaterstykke. Handlingen er ikke helt klar, men vi blir vist en rekke scener med et overlappende persongalleri. Handlingen er satt til Tyskland på 1980-tallet, et Tyskland som enda strever med traumene etter krigen. Hvem gjorde hva i den tiden, hvem klarte å klatre seg til topps i oppbygningsperioden og hvordan, traumer, anger, makt, moral, ansvar, fattigdom og nød og velstand. Mer skjer kanskje mellom linjene enn i selve teksten i dette verket.

Skulle jeg fortelle alt det til den silkeinnhyllede Lore som stadig tydeligere viste at hun virkelig var en kvinne, innrømme overfor henne at det hadde vært mitt trauma at jeg aldri hadde greid det liggende, bare stående, jeg kunne bare proletarenes kjellertrappnummer. Tålmodig, kjærlig, noen ganger med tårer i øynene hadde Eva lært meg å elske liggende. Hvor deilig det var å ligge, og fremfor alt å kunne bli liggende. Hjem-me hadde vi ikke hatt noe sted å legge oss ned. Min kloke Eva som rødmer ved den minste tvetydighet, hun lærte meg det. Ikke bare i sengen, men også på sletter i skogen, om sommeren, liggende. Og tidligere hadde jeg ikke engang greid det i parken hvor vi jo kunne ha lagt oss ned, men alltid bare mot et tre eller mot ryggstøet på en benk. Det var en tid da jeg regnet dem som la seg ned, for å være perverse. Og vi pisset på helgen-bildene, men gikk allikevel med til den første hellige kommunion, fikk klær som velgjørende damer spanderte, de kom også med hjemmebakte kaker, blomster-buketter og kaldt kjøttpålegg, men aldri kontanter fordi vi "ikke kunne omgås" penger. Nei, det kunne vi ikke fordi vi ikke hadde noen.

(...)

Vi kan ikke leve uten å ta avgjørelser! Hvert stykke brød jeg spiser tar jeg fra noen, noen jeg ikke kjenner. Melken jeg drikker kan jeg takke formidler for som kunne blitt brød, grøt eller flatbrød et annet sted. Ikke engang vinen vi drikker, tilhører oss med gjødningen som trengs til den, kunne det ha vokst korn andre steder. Og når jeg løfter av telefonrøret -ett av fire og slår et nummer for å gi noen en velfor-tjent overhaling, vet jeg ikke om han slår sin kone eller sine barn om kvelden på grunn av det eller kanskje drikker seg full eller setter seg rasende i bilen og forår-saker en bilulykke. Vi er dømt til å handle: jeg vet hva jeg gjør, men jeg vet ikke hva jeg steller i stand.

[mati.e · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Kobiety na tle krajobrazu z rzeką" Heinrich Böll

Początek: 2023.02.22
Koniec: 2023.03.07
Dni czytane: 10dni

Kobiety na tle krajobrazu z rzeką to ostatnia książka wybitnego pisarza zachodniopomorskiego, laureata Nagrody Nobla. Powieść powstała tuż przed śmiercią autora w roku 1985. "Wszystko w tej powieści jest fikcyjne, z wyjątkiem miejsca, a miejsce jest niewinne, więc nie może czuć się dotknięte." – powiedział H. Böll o swojej książce.
Miejscem akcji jest dzisiejsze Bonn, miasto na tle krajobrazu z rzeką – nie Bonn wydarzeń politycznych, lecz Bonn spraw prywatnych, intymnych. Powieść odsłania kulisy wielkiej polityki. Zza tych kulis na pierwszy plan wysuwają się kobiety z bońskiego krajobrazu, żony decydentów i polityków. Są one swoistymi aktorkami. Uwikłane w intrygi dyplomatów, w bezpardonową walkę o władzę i pozycję, zachowują krytyczny dystans, resztki swobodnego działania i odrobinę wolności, której granice sięgają od wyrażania sprzeciwu po samobójczą śmierć.

Powieść wyjątkowo trudna. Głęboka. Potrzeba dokładnego skupienia i analizy wydarzeń. Ale nie zniechęciła mnie, a wręcz przeciwnie - bardzo przyciągała. Książka została napisana w formie dialogów, co również było ciekawym doświadczeniem.
Sprawy polityczne i prywatne. Brak możliwości sprzeciwienia się władzy, ponieważ konsekwencje są bolesne, groźne. Wszystko co nielegalne, można załatwić w sposób legalny. Władze maczające palce w kościele, w państwie, bankowości. Mowa również była o kościele, który coraz bardziej jest pusty. Ludzie wierzący, prawdziwe wierzący - zostają przeganiani z kościoła. Kościół wypełniał się niby katolikami. Młody prawnik rąbający swój fortepian. Przez co oskarżany jest o resztę rąbań innych fortepianów.

Według mnie, książka jest naprawdę dobra. Trudna, ciężka - ale mądra. Idelanie obrazuje nam, dalej ten sam rozkład władzy w państwie, który mimo upływu lat - nigdy się nie zmienił.
Bardzo podobała mi się również rola kobieca w tej historii. Kobiety, które za dużo wiedziały, zostawały eliminowane w bardzo dyskretny sposób. Zaś Pani Erika Wubler, była wyjątkowo sympatyczną kobietą. Rozsądna, mądra. Wiedziała, kiedy stawić opór. Kiedy postawić na siebie. Kiedy powiedzieć "dość".

Serdecznie polecam książkę, myślę że każdemu. Każdy znajdzie w tym cząstek siebie

[Neris Özen · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018’de Berlin’e gittiğimde Topography of Terror’a da gitmiştim. Bu müzede Nazilerin 2.Dünya Savaşı sonrası Almanyasının toplumunda ve siyasetinde varlıklarının devam ettiği, çoğuna ceza verilmediği de ele alınıyordu. İlk defa o müzede savaş sonrası Alman toplumunun savaşta yaşananlar ve yaşatılanlarla yüzleşmesi gerektiğini fark edip konuya merak salmıştım. Bu kitabı bu konuya (ve daha fazlasına) eğildiği için ilgiyle okudum.
Kadınların bir nevi “moral compass” oluşu, iyilerin/naiflerin (özellikle de kadınların) savaş sonrası Almanya’ya tutunamayışları, bu Almanya’da başarısız oluşları beni vurdu. Saramago’nun toplum eleştirileri çok sevilir, ama ben bu kitabı daha orijinal buldum. (Belki de elmayla armutu karşılaştırıyorumdur.)
Belki tekrar okuyup bazı kısımların üstüne biraz daha düşünmem gerekiyor, ama başarılıydı, 4.

[Mina Widding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intressant uppställd som ett manus, med scenbeskrivning i början av kapitlen och namn vid replikerna, som ibland är monologer. Allt sker alltså i dialog, utom några få kursiva hänvisningar om kroppsspråk etc. Temat är efterkrigspolitiskt, och ganska dyster (jag letar efter ordet bleak på svenska, men hittar ingen bra översättning), de som gör sig karriär trots nazibakgrund och de som inte varit det men ger upp, det är för korrupt, ungefär så. Det är kvinnorna som säger ifrån och står för sanningen, och en motvalls man som en gång slog sönder sin flygel fast ingen förstod den rätta anledningen.
För den som är mer insatt i det politiska är det här förmodligen en bättre bok än den blir för mig, men jag tar med mig ett par intressanta karaktärsporträtt.

Läsprojekt: #minasläsinspo (Tyskland)

[F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I started, but just could not work up enough interest in these lovely ladies and gave up. This book was on the list for my book club, otherwise I doubt I would have come across it. Too many other things I am trying to get round to reading, so this one went fairly swiftly on to the 'not my cup of tea' shelf.

[Giorgio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really engaging. The novel is formed from the dialog of different people related to the corrupted political class of Bonn in West Germany. These includes bankers, politicians, industrials as well as the wifes of the politician, from which the title is taken.

[داليا روئيل]

لسبب ما_لا اعلم ماهو_ لا استطيع اكمال روايات هاينرش بول

[Luxa · Rating 2 out of 5]

was für eine depressives Buch

[Aylin Ergenç · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oyun olarak yazıldığı için çoğunlukla diyalog, kolay okunuyor ama aynı nedenden sanırım bir yabancılık bir çiğlik var.

[Ronja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the dialogue form, not much more

[Ayca Budak · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was the most difficult and unsatisfying Böll book I have ever read.

[Rebecca Hearne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird and great

[Julia Amadea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es war ein wirklich schönes Buch und auch mein erster Böll. Für die Zeit finde ich die Literatur überraschend feministisch.
Ich hätte mir nur das Ende ein wenig anders vorgestellt, ansonsten war das Buch aber super!

[Annikka K]

Böll on aina Böll, niin kuin Simo sanoi, kun lainasin tämän häneltä. Taas kirja, joka saa ajattelemaan tota aikaisemmin miettimääni kymmenen - tai ehkä viiden - kirjan politiikkaa. Pitäisi valita muutama kirja, joita lukisi aina uudestaan niin kauan, että oikeesti saisi niistä enemmän irti. Kirjailija kirjoittaa kirjaa vaikka kuinka kauan ja moneen kertaan. Sitten kansalainen tulee, lukaisee ja pohtii jotain näennäistä: "juu, älyllinen tutkielma politiikasta, entiset natsit ja muut kärvistelevät vallan- ja rahanhimoissaan". Kirja on vuodelta 1985, Böllin viimeinen kuolinvuodelta, mutta eipä välty miettimästä omia H&M-ostoksiaan. Sivulta 208: "Me emme voi elää tekemättä koko ajan ratkaisuja! Jokainen leipäpala, jonka minä syön, on pois joltakin muulta, joltakin sellaiselta, jota minä en tunne. Maito, jota juon, on peräisin rehusta, joka jossakin muualla merkitsisi leipää, puuroa tai jotain muuta. Meidän omaamme ei ole edes viini, jota juomme - niillä lannoitusaineilla, jota se tarvitsee, voitaisiin jossakin muualla kasvattaa viljaa."

Myös tämä kirja julistaa teemaa, jota olen mietiskellyt viime aikoina mm., kun Marjan kanssa käytiin ihan sattumoisin Tallinnassa museoksi jätetyssä Patarei-nimisessä vankilassa, jossa viimeinen teloitus oli tehty 1991 ja viimeinen vanki istunut 2002. Nimittäin sitä, miten vähän aikaa on historiasta.

[Soshyans Varahram · Rating 3 out of 5]

وقتی داشتم کتاب 1984 رو میخوندم خیلی خودم رو دور از اون محیط نمیدیدم. این که داستان در کشوری دیگه با فرهنگی دیگه و در جغرافیایی به قدر کافی دور از من روایت میشه، اون هم در قالبی کاملن تخیلی, هیچکدوم موجب نشد با فضای داستان احساس همذات پنداری نکنم. حین خوندن این کتاب هم چنین قرابتی رو لمس کردم. داستانی احتمالن تخیلی از بازیهای بیرون و درون و نیز زندگی خصوصی سیاستمداران آلمان پس از جنگ جهانی دوم. تاییدی بر نظر غالب بی پدر و مادر بودن سیاست.

[Pardis · Rating 3 out of 5]

این اثر دارای ساختاری بدیع است: در آثار بل معمولا گفتگو بسیار کمتر از گزارش یا تک گویی است، اما قسمت اعظم این رمان حاوی گفت گوس و شباهت زیادی به فیلم نامه یا نمایشنامه دارد. در حالی که هیچ یک از این دو نیست!