Modellfliegen

by Marcel Möring

Holländisches Wohnküchenidyll, lichte Farben. Eine Familie sitzt einträchtig über ihrer Heimarbeit, dem Zusammenfügen und Bemalen von Modellflugzeugen aus dem Laden des kauzigen Puppendoktors. Der Vater, ein ehemaliger Pilot und seine schöne resolute Frau, beide seit kurzem arbeitslos, sind stolz über den Einfall ihres zwölfjährigen Sohnes David, der den Puppendoktor davon überzeugte, dass sich fertige Modelle besser verkaufen ließen als Bausätze. David in seinem kindlichen Versorgerglück ahnt nicht: gleich den Modellen, die dem Käufer eine größere, wirklichere Welt vorgaukeln, werkeln auch seine Eltern, in Wahrheit ein Elendsverband aus Gescheiterten, an ihrem fortwährenden Illusionsprogramm vom großen Überflug.

Wie es so geht. Mitten in der Arbeit an seinem nächsten großen Romanprojekt, wehten Marcel Möring plötzlich diese fernen Erinnerungsfetzen aus seiner Kindheit an und unversehens stand ein Anfangssatz auf dem Papier. Möring lauschte nach innen -- legte sein Großprojekt auf Eis -- und wob seine Eingebungen zu dieser federleichten Kindheits-Novelle.

Die trügerische Familienseligkeit bekommt sehr bald Risse. Loyalität und Solidarität, auch in Davids Familie nur Wortmünzen, die so lange Gültigkeit besitzen, bis Besseres in Aussicht steht. In diesem Falle ist dies der vor Leben strotzende Bonvivant Humbert Coe, ein Kriegskamerad des Vaters, der zu Besuch auftaucht. Sofort registriert der listige Coe den Zustand resignativer Gelähmtheit seiner Gastfamilie und beginnt sein Manipulationswerk, eine für Davids Vater demütigende Erfahrung. Durch Coe lernt der kleine David, die Stützräder abzulegen und seine Träume zu leben. Die Kehrseite solch hemmungsloser Traumverwirklichung jedoch äußert sich in dem vor nichts haltmachenden Schrecken, als David Zeuge wird, wie Coe mit seiner Mutter seinen ganz persönlichen Traum lebt. Dieser bittere Erwerb der Flugtauglichkeit markiert das Ende einer unbeschwerten Kindheit.

Eine wundervoll melancholische, leicht hingetuschte Fabel, an deren Ende ein erwachsener David steht, der seinen Kindern die Geschichte einer Familie weiterträgt, deren Träume nie abzuheben vermochten. --Ravi Unger

Genres: Fiction, Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Marcel Möring was born in 1957 in Enschede, an industrial town near the Dutch-German border, where he attended a Montessori primary school. In the late sixties his family moved north, to Assen, a small town moderately famous for its annual TT motor races. He finished secondary school and studied Dutch literature for two years, then went from one odd job to another. Since he had already decided to become a writer at the age of thirteen, he saw no point in further education. He wrote several plays in those years, producing and directing two of them, and moved to Rotterdam, the second biggest city in the Netherlands. Möring published his first novel, Mendels Erfenis, in 1990, to almost unanimous critical acclaim. His second novel, Het Grote Verlangen (The Great Longing,published in the UK by Flamingo, in the USA by HarperCollins, and in more than ten other countries) won the AKO Prize, the Dutch equivalent of the Booker Prize. Over 150,000 copies of The Great Longing have been sold in the Netherlands alone. Möring's third book was a novella: Bederf is de weg van alle vlees (Decay is the Way of All Flesh). Then came a 500 page novel: In Babylon. This book won two Golden Owls, a Flemish award for the best Dutch/ Flemish book of 1998. In Babylon was a major success in both the Netherlands (over 100.000 copies sold) and Germany and was published in the UK (Flamingo), France (Flammarion), the USA (William Morrow) and a great number of other countries. His novel, DIS, was published in 2006 and quickly became the subject of a critical debate about contemporary literature. In 2007 DIS was awarded the Bordewijk Prize for the best Dutch novel of 2006.
DIS was published in Germany (2009) as Der Nächtige Ort, in Great Britain (2009) and the US spring 2010) as In A Dark Wood. A Hebrew translation (Schocken) is currently in the works. In 2011 Möring's German publisher Luchterhand boughts the rights to 'Louteringsberg', his latest book, shortly before the novel was published in The Netherlands.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this a lot. Some of the sections were fabulous, all beautifully written. For me the ending let it down, I was left with so many more questions about the earlier parts and in the 12-year old boy and had to flick back to see if I had missed something. I would definitely seek this author out again, I enjoyed his writing style.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Savoured every word of this dreamy, meditative book until the storm that went on too long and an abrupt ending in which the narrator was retelling the story to the local children that was so jarring, I had to make sure I hadn't picked up another book. This slim little novella initially felt like one of those books that lingers and breathes, that doesn't necessarily have a Plot but simply invites you to wander alongside it and watch the images flicker past. But like I said, it's me who's lost the plot because I was at a loss once night fell and the rain started falling.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice novella. The language was beautiful. The scenes were vivid and well painted. The story was equally joyous and sad. It was succinct, but it doesn't just spell everything out like most stories. And a very quick read as well.

[Arjen Dijkstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat is dit toch een heerlijk boekje, een kleine, echte Möring. Ik snap maar de helft, maar dat is wat er zo fijn aan is. En wat is het prachtig uitgegeven, vooral dat omslag ;-).

Schitterend gedaan.

[Anton Segers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veel mooie momenten, in aanzet een ontroerend vaderportret, maar de puzzel is niet af, levert geen samenhangend totaalbeeld op.

[Kanan Virkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can someone explain the ending!!!!
I like the story. It was cute. But I don't think I understand everything

[Servane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Möring was once again putting so many visual cues in his writing. A lovely empathetic short novel about post war pre-adolescence

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a such a short novel, it leaves its mark in my mind. The young narrator who absorbs everything around him, only to realize he does understand the goings-on of his parents, is an impacting character who points out to the reader that we must not underestimate the knowledge of young people and the impressions we leave upon them.
His love of cuisine, which reveals his zest for life; the love he has for his parents and how he unknowingly tries to keep them together, further revealing his perception and how observant he is, makes the reader identify with him and revert back to childhood to see how much we absorbed at such a young age.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sold as a novel, but is really a novella. The book begins a bit slowly, then picks up steam when the young narrator starts exploring his passion for food. We are then taken to the coast and shown small pictures of his family heritage, which is fascinating, and the current unraveling of his family, then the story ends abruptly and finishes with the grown narrator relating a fairy tale to the local children.

This abrupt change away from the real emotion in the book is jarring and mars what could have been an excellent tale. Instead, it's good one.

[Gnoe Graasland · Rating 3 out of 5]

In mijn audioversie bleek het laatste hoofdstuk te ontbreken... Dat was wel een heel abrupt einde. Gelukkig heb ik ook de papieren versie! Want hoofdstuk 4 maakt het boek meer de moeite waard, omdat het verhaal daarmee naar de tegenwoordige tijd wordt gehaald; in context wordt geplaatst. Het zou me niet verbazen als ik überhaupt meer van Modelvliegen zou hebben genoten als ik het fysieke boek zou hebben gelezen.. :\

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get it.
But somehow I liked it.

note: "Parade's End" pg.54

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get it.

[Margreeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het is niet zozeer verhaal maar de manier waarop het verteld wordt dat boeit.