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Totentanz
Nach der Rückkehr aus seinem längeren Krankheitsurlaub empfand Frank Fabian, Rechtsanwalt und Syndikus der Stadt, von der hier die Rede ist, mit großer Deutlichkeit die auffallenden Veränderungen, die in seiner Umgebung vor sich gegangen waren.
Der Nachtschnellzug, mit dem er damals ankam, hatte eine volle Stunde Verspätung, so daß er erst um ein Uhr seine Wohnung erreichte. Zu seiner angenehmen Überraschung war Martha, das Mädchen, noch wach und öffnete die Tür, sobald er die Treppe heraufkam. Er drückte ihr herzhaft die Hand, indem er ihr dankte, daß sie wach geblieben war, und bat sie, ihm Rotwein ins Speisezimmer zu bringen. Er wolle seine Heimkehr feiern, fügte er lächelnd hinzu.
"Meine Frau schläft wohl schon?" fragte er, während er seinen Überzieher in der Diele ablegte. Er sprach mit gedämpfter Stimme, um seine Gemahlin, die nervös war und an Schlaflosigkeit litt, nicht aufzuwecken.
Ja, die gnädige Frau sei heute frühzeitig schlafen gegangen, antwortete Martha und versprach, den Rotwein sofort zu bringen.
Fabian befand sich in ausgezeichneter Laune. Er war froh, wieder zu Hause zu sein, und rieb sich vergnügt die Hände, während er die sommerliche Wärme in der Wohnung genoß, denn in der Droschke, die ihn vom Bahnhof brachte, war es zugig und kalt gewesen. Sogar der sonderbare Geruch, den jede menschliche Behausung an sich hat, erfreute ihn, er hatte ihn in den vier Monaten seiner Abwesenheit völlig vergessen gehabt. Nun schön, da war er also wieder!
Von der Diele begab er sich in sein Arbeitszimmer und schaltete alle Lampen ein. Alles war noch da, die bunte Bücherreihe seiner Bibliothek, auf die er stolz war, die wenigen Bilder und Kleinigkeiten, an denen er hing. Schon fühlte er sich zu Hause. Er liebte nichts mehr als seine Behaglichkeit und Ruhe. Auf seinem Schreibtisch lag ein Stapel eingegangener Post, und er griff nach den Briefen, deren Abschriften er rasch überflog.
Auch die Arbeit wartet schon auf dich, sagte er befriedigt zu sich, während er sich in das anstoßende Speisezimmer begab. Er konnte ohne Tätigkeit nicht leben, und die letzten müßigen Wochen des Urlaubs waren ihm zur Qual geworden.
Der Speisetisch war mit Blumen geschmückt und mit bestechenden Herrlichkeiten überladen. Kalter Braten und ein zerlegtes Brathuhn lagen auf einer kunstvoll garnierten Platte, umgeben von Schälchen mit allerlei Salaten und Leckerbissen. Fabian liebte es, gut zu speisen, und machte sich sofort, ausgehungert von der Reise, mit großem Appetit an die ...
Der Nachtschnellzug, mit dem er damals ankam, hatte eine volle Stunde Verspätung, so daß er erst um ein Uhr seine Wohnung erreichte. Zu seiner angenehmen Überraschung war Martha, das Mädchen, noch wach und öffnete die Tür, sobald er die Treppe heraufkam. Er drückte ihr herzhaft die Hand, indem er ihr dankte, daß sie wach geblieben war, und bat sie, ihm Rotwein ins Speisezimmer zu bringen. Er wolle seine Heimkehr feiern, fügte er lächelnd hinzu.
"Meine Frau schläft wohl schon?" fragte er, während er seinen Überzieher in der Diele ablegte. Er sprach mit gedämpfter Stimme, um seine Gemahlin, die nervös war und an Schlaflosigkeit litt, nicht aufzuwecken.
Ja, die gnädige Frau sei heute frühzeitig schlafen gegangen, antwortete Martha und versprach, den Rotwein sofort zu bringen.
Fabian befand sich in ausgezeichneter Laune. Er war froh, wieder zu Hause zu sein, und rieb sich vergnügt die Hände, während er die sommerliche Wärme in der Wohnung genoß, denn in der Droschke, die ihn vom Bahnhof brachte, war es zugig und kalt gewesen. Sogar der sonderbare Geruch, den jede menschliche Behausung an sich hat, erfreute ihn, er hatte ihn in den vier Monaten seiner Abwesenheit völlig vergessen gehabt. Nun schön, da war er also wieder!
Von der Diele begab er sich in sein Arbeitszimmer und schaltete alle Lampen ein. Alles war noch da, die bunte Bücherreihe seiner Bibliothek, auf die er stolz war, die wenigen Bilder und Kleinigkeiten, an denen er hing. Schon fühlte er sich zu Hause. Er liebte nichts mehr als seine Behaglichkeit und Ruhe. Auf seinem Schreibtisch lag ein Stapel eingegangener Post, und er griff nach den Briefen, deren Abschriften er rasch überflog.
Auch die Arbeit wartet schon auf dich, sagte er befriedigt zu sich, während er sich in das anstoßende Speisezimmer begab. Er konnte ohne Tätigkeit nicht leben, und die letzten müßigen Wochen des Urlaubs waren ihm zur Qual geworden.
Der Speisetisch war mit Blumen geschmückt und mit bestechenden Herrlichkeiten überladen. Kalter Braten und ein zerlegtes Brathuhn lagen auf einer kunstvoll garnierten Platte, umgeben von Schälchen mit allerlei Salaten und Leckerbissen. Fabian liebte es, gut zu speisen, und machte sich sofort, ausgehungert von der Reise, mit großem Appetit an die ...
- GenresGerman Literature
587 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1948
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Bernhard Kellermann
83 books8 followersBernhard Kellermann was a well known German author and poet.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 17, 2021
I read this in Estonian and first off - it was beautifully translated and was written in such a simple yet captivating tone, was quite hard to put down at times. The story's main character Fabian returns home after a 4-month vacation for his heart troubles, to find that his city and the country have meanwhile become much more national socialism party driven than they were before. People he is close to have different reactions to this development: some are angry and upset about what is to come of Germany, others join the party because they believe in the cause, some join the party to be in a better state compared to not joining, some start leaving Germany.
What this book does best is describe Fabian's own moral reasoning - or rather a lack of it - over the course of him witnessing first-hand what happens to people who disagree with the party, what happens to his own brother in a labor camp where he ended up due to being too jew-friendly, and how he explains these experiences away with statements like "there are bad people in any party", "surely it's not *that* bad", "this is just a phase Germany is going through while it's transforming". He ends up losing his son to battle, his other son goes missing in war under Staliningrad, he splits from his wife due to disagreements about how jews should be treated, and loses his brother for a long time due to the same reasons. He isn't a bad man as such - we see him having friends who are jews and trying to help them out when makes sense and is safe for him to do. Not really because he is doing it for a good cause but more because they are his friends. He is also painfully aware that if he would not be part of the party he would have no work, and would also be persecuted - that would leave his family without provisions, and that terrifies him most, especially when thinking about his 2 sons whom he loves most.
He works as a lawyer and after joining the party he starts moving up in his career ladder in the city, gaining a great position and acquiring good wealth. There are startling scenes of how far his denial of the situation goes - he is having tea with his old friends, a mother and a daughter (he was courting the daughter and the feelings were mutual, until the daughter saw him in the military uniform and called everything off without explanation because she was too overwhelmed, their relation to each other remains polite after not seeing each other 2 years after this event happened; he never found out why she disappeared on him). He says that it seems the women have become rather quiet, to which the mother says that the more you have to say the less you speak. He then says that if she has so much to say, why can they not speak freely like they used to together. And she remarks that because speaking freely isn't of course possible anymore since anyone can report you about the words you speak to the Gestapo. He then says that it would be a shame if that were true. On his way home he really ponders on this thought and tries to consider if it is really true what the lady had said. Meanwhile the story has been filled with people that get taken away because of things they said in what they thought was private.
In the end he realizes how wrong his stand has been the entire time - thanks to his brother's harsh words and his own personal losses to the war. The book ends with him saying goodbye to his brother and the woman he was previously courting, telling them he is going off to war, but based on his brother's words about how what is the point of going to war now after he has realized all these things, he ends his life some hours later in his room.
A symbolical tale on how some more privileged people might have experienced these times in Germany.
What this book does best is describe Fabian's own moral reasoning - or rather a lack of it - over the course of him witnessing first-hand what happens to people who disagree with the party, what happens to his own brother in a labor camp where he ended up due to being too jew-friendly, and how he explains these experiences away with statements like "there are bad people in any party", "surely it's not *that* bad", "this is just a phase Germany is going through while it's transforming". He ends up losing his son to battle, his other son goes missing in war under Staliningrad, he splits from his wife due to disagreements about how jews should be treated, and loses his brother for a long time due to the same reasons. He isn't a bad man as such - we see him having friends who are jews and trying to help them out when makes sense and is safe for him to do. Not really because he is doing it for a good cause but more because they are his friends. He is also painfully aware that if he would not be part of the party he would have no work, and would also be persecuted - that would leave his family without provisions, and that terrifies him most, especially when thinking about his 2 sons whom he loves most.
He works as a lawyer and after joining the party he starts moving up in his career ladder in the city, gaining a great position and acquiring good wealth. There are startling scenes of how far his denial of the situation goes - he is having tea with his old friends, a mother and a daughter (he was courting the daughter and the feelings were mutual, until the daughter saw him in the military uniform and called everything off without explanation because she was too overwhelmed, their relation to each other remains polite after not seeing each other 2 years after this event happened; he never found out why she disappeared on him). He says that it seems the women have become rather quiet, to which the mother says that the more you have to say the less you speak. He then says that if she has so much to say, why can they not speak freely like they used to together. And she remarks that because speaking freely isn't of course possible anymore since anyone can report you about the words you speak to the Gestapo. He then says that it would be a shame if that were true. On his way home he really ponders on this thought and tries to consider if it is really true what the lady had said. Meanwhile the story has been filled with people that get taken away because of things they said in what they thought was private.
In the end he realizes how wrong his stand has been the entire time - thanks to his brother's harsh words and his own personal losses to the war. The book ends with him saying goodbye to his brother and the woman he was previously courting, telling them he is going off to war, but based on his brother's words about how what is the point of going to war now after he has realized all these things, he ends his life some hours later in his room.
A symbolical tale on how some more privileged people might have experienced these times in Germany.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 17, 2020Vallja e Vdekjes
April 17, 2022
Zuerst hat mir das Buch nicht so sehr gefallen, am Ende wurde ich aber fasziniert und entsetzt...
December 18, 2025
AR TU TIKI, KAD VISĄ TĄ BLOGĮ, KURĮ JŪS ATNEŠĖTE Į PASAULĮ, GALIMA ATPIRKTI VIENU "ROMANTIŠKU GESTU".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2015
Выпивать по стопке каждый раз, когда Марион заливается своим задушевным смехом.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews