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Es waren Habichte in der Luft
In Siegfried Lenz' erstem Roman geht es um die Existenz des Bösen, das die Formen menschlichen Zusammenlebens mit furchtbarer Konsequenz zerstört. Nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg wird der finnische Dorfschullehrer Stenka von der Revolutionsregierung verfolgt. Er versucht, in die Anonymität des Untergrunds abzutauchen, aber schließlich wird er wenige Schritte vor der rettenden Grenze zur Strecke gebracht. Bewahrheitet hat sich das Urteil der "Welt": "Siegfried Lenz, der Fünfundzwanzigjährige, ist mit einem Elan über die Anfangsrunde gegangen, daß man wegen seiner Reserven nicht bange zu sein braucht."
- GenresGerman LiteratureFiction
166 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 1951
2 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Siegfried Lenz
219 books147 followersSiegfried Lenz (1926 - 2014) was a German author who wrote twelve novels and produced several collections of short stories, essays, and plays for radio and the theatre. He was awarded the Goethe Prize in Frankfurt-am-Main on the 250th Anniversary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's birth. Lenz and his wife, Liselotte, also exchanged over 100 letters with Paul Celan and his wife, Gisèle Lestrange between 1952 and 1961.
Lenz was the son of a customs officer in Lyck (Elk), East Prussia. After his graduation exam in 1943, he was drafted into the navy. According to documents released in June 2007, he may have joined the Nazi party on the 12th of July 1943. Shortly before the end of World War II, he defected to Denmark, but became a prisoner of war in Schleswig-Holstein.
After his release, he attended the University of Hamburg, where he studied philosophy, English, and Literary history. His studies were cut off early, however, as he became an intern for the daily paper Die Welt, and served as its editor from 1950 to 1951. It was there he met his future wife, Liselotte (d. February 5, 2006). They were married in 1949.
Since 1951, Lenz worked as a freelance writer in Hamburg and was a member of the literature forum "Group 47." Together with Günter Grass, he became engaged with the Social Democratic Party and aided the Ostpolitik of Willy Brandt. A champion of the movement, he was invited in 1970 to the signing of the German-Polish Treaty.
Since 2003, Lenz was a visiting professor at the Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University and a member of the organization for German orthography and proper speech.
Lenz was the son of a customs officer in Lyck (Elk), East Prussia. After his graduation exam in 1943, he was drafted into the navy. According to documents released in June 2007, he may have joined the Nazi party on the 12th of July 1943. Shortly before the end of World War II, he defected to Denmark, but became a prisoner of war in Schleswig-Holstein.
After his release, he attended the University of Hamburg, where he studied philosophy, English, and Literary history. His studies were cut off early, however, as he became an intern for the daily paper Die Welt, and served as its editor from 1950 to 1951. It was there he met his future wife, Liselotte (d. February 5, 2006). They were married in 1949.
Since 1951, Lenz worked as a freelance writer in Hamburg and was a member of the literature forum "Group 47." Together with Günter Grass, he became engaged with the Social Democratic Party and aided the Ostpolitik of Willy Brandt. A champion of the movement, he was invited in 1970 to the signing of the German-Polish Treaty.
Since 2003, Lenz was a visiting professor at the Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University and a member of the organization for German orthography and proper speech.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 23, 2024
Wahnsinn. Siegfried Lenz‘ bestes Buch.
„Nur wer den Schlag seines Herzens nicht zu prüfen braucht, ist ungefährdet. Wer unsicher ist, ob sein Zustand nicht der des Lebens sei, wer erst das Klopfen in seinem Innern hören muß, damit er weiß, daß er lebt, der hat nicht verstanden, wie dieses Leben aufzufassen ist: als ein absichtsloses, sehr selbstverständliches, als ein unmerkliches Gebilde aus Zeit- und Stoffwechsel. Wir dürfen uns nicht selbst lebend fühlen, um eigentlich am Leben zu sein.“
„Nur wer den Schlag seines Herzens nicht zu prüfen braucht, ist ungefährdet. Wer unsicher ist, ob sein Zustand nicht der des Lebens sei, wer erst das Klopfen in seinem Innern hören muß, damit er weiß, daß er lebt, der hat nicht verstanden, wie dieses Leben aufzufassen ist: als ein absichtsloses, sehr selbstverständliches, als ein unmerkliches Gebilde aus Zeit- und Stoffwechsel. Wir dürfen uns nicht selbst lebend fühlen, um eigentlich am Leben zu sein.“
March 10, 2019
Guter Einblick in das Finnland nach dem ersten Weltkrieg und der Einfluss der "roten" Regierung auf das Leben der ländlichen Bevölkerung.
November 11, 2018
Die packende Geschichte eines Verfolgten, der keine Heimat mehr hat und um sein Leben bangen muss. Die Habichte kreisen bereits über ihm.
November 4, 2020
Beautiful beautiful language, thrilling story
October 17, 2022
2/6 points, Geschichte nicht besonders interessant
January 22, 2013
It took me a while to get to Siegfried Lenz, i discovered him through my love for Günter Grass and after reading a few works I got to this book, his first novel.
A teacher tries to hide after the end of the war, on the search for safety he is confronted with all kinds of different people who do not really want to help him. Its a very tense story and the most significant thing is the language Lenz is using here in a way I have never seen it before. It is a very pure book, with a lot of passion and great narrative structure. Lenz has the gift to take you with him in his books, take you to the places the main character is and basically involves you in the book.
Lenz has become to one of my 2 favorite contemporary authors besides Grass, reading his books is like a journey for the mind, he takes care of his characters and readers. I feel save reading Lenz, and his literature touches me, which is enough reason to recommend this book for reading.
A teacher tries to hide after the end of the war, on the search for safety he is confronted with all kinds of different people who do not really want to help him. Its a very tense story and the most significant thing is the language Lenz is using here in a way I have never seen it before. It is a very pure book, with a lot of passion and great narrative structure. Lenz has the gift to take you with him in his books, take you to the places the main character is and basically involves you in the book.
Lenz has become to one of my 2 favorite contemporary authors besides Grass, reading his books is like a journey for the mind, he takes care of his characters and readers. I feel save reading Lenz, and his literature touches me, which is enough reason to recommend this book for reading.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews