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Schwarzenberg
Rare Book
- GenresGerman Literature
Paperback
Published May 20, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 28, 2024
Am Ende des 2. Weltkrieges blieb - wohl aufgrund eines Missverständnisses zwischen amerikanischen und russischen Besatzungstruppen - ein Teil des Erzgebirges für 42 Tage unbesetzt. Hier formierte sich notgedrungen eine örtliche Selbstverwaltung, die Heym versucht zu heroisieren. Weietere Details kann man auf Wikipedia nachlesen: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freie_R...
Leider ist dieses Werk für Heyms Verhältnisse ungewöhnlich Linientreu, wenngleich etwas moskaukritisch, und - das war der Punkt, der mir am meisten aufgestoßen ist - anders als Heyms übrige Werke völlig humorlos.
Leider ist dieses Werk für Heyms Verhältnisse ungewöhnlich Linientreu, wenngleich etwas moskaukritisch, und - das war der Punkt, der mir am meisten aufgestoßen ist - anders als Heyms übrige Werke völlig humorlos.
October 6, 2021
Strange things happen on the fringes of history. Something so obscure and unlikely happened following the end of World War II, hardly anyone knows it even occurred. If Stefan Heym's protagonist is to be believed, causing this apocryphal chapter of German history to be forgotten may even entail a deliberate act by the war's winning powers. An attempt to wipe off the record this self-declared utopia that was never meant to last.
The Free Republic of Schwarzenberg was a real country. One I didn't find out about this until discovering a short footnote about its existence while digging myself down a major rabbit hole on Wikipedia. I'd been at the latter for the better part of an hour or so. Slow day at the office. You know the drill.
Let's take a look back. The year is 1945. World War II has ended, and both Soviet and American troops take up their positions in a newly divided Germany. What areas are to be occupied by whom seems like a clear-cut deal, except for the small area around Schwarzenberg in Saxony. Here, the information about which army is supposed to occupy the region gets rather cryptic.
Nobody wants to risk a conflict over a piece of land so irrelevant. Best to stay back and let the others deal with the situation. And so, neither of the two victorious armies ends up occupying Schwarzenberg. It becomes the last stretch of Germany left to its own devices after the nation was utterly crushed in human history's biggest and deadliest conflict. And now what?
Enter an irregular committee of workers from the unoccupied towns. Most of them were active communists or social democrats in the dying Weimar Republic. With peace now at hand, the idea of a better tomorrow under socialist principles seems closer than ever. Good thing too, they have their friends from the mighty USSR sitting right next door, willing and eager to help wherever possible. Are they though?
Two personalities evidently stand out from this colorful mix of locals. One is Max Wolfram, the son of Jewish parents, who went to study philosophy in Berlin. He could never fully finalize that dream of his once the Nazis came to power, for obvious reasons. Now, back in his home region, he is nonetheless an educated intellectual among working class citizens.
The other is comrade Reinsiepe. While also from Schwarzenberg, he disappeared years ago, leaving no trace. Even after returning, his whereabouts in the meantime mostly remain a mystery. He seems to have his own agenda, which no-one worries about in particular, for now.
The worker's committee soon gets busy building their new utopia. Between hunting down remaining Nazi leaders hiding out on their territory and deporting prisoners of war back to their respective homelands (mostly Soviet Russia), they slowly begin to create their very own post-war order. Communication with both Americans and Soviets occurs regularly in an effort to secure the small territory's unexpected sovereignty. The committee's socialist and anti-fascist nature quickly clears up all questions as to which foreign power they'd rather work with. The Soviets are friends of an ideological nature, obviously. The Americans meanwhile...can they really be trusted? The bulk of the committee seems to have their minds made up about the matter.
In the end, nobody but a helpless Max Wolfram manages to see the Soviets' intention of marching into Schwarzenberg and incorporating the young republic into their own territory after all. An attempt of his to secure American support for Schwarzenberg's independence results in comrade Reinsiepe cooperating with Soviet officers to have Wolfram arrested and deported into the Soviet occupation zone. A marauding group of former Nazi soldiers, which the worker's committee can't seem to get under control, gives the Red Army all the pretense they needed to invade.
As the book's final act wraps up, the fates of most characters remain relatively uncertain. Years later, a rehabilitated Max Wolfram lectures at Leipzig University, discussing the concept of utopian societies throughout history. They are, according to him, wild fantasies made up by dreamers and hardly rooted in the harsh realities of the world we live in. Was Schwarzenberg an exception to the rule in any way? His answer is no.
There are no heroes in this story. Everyone, even the supposed friends from the Soviet Union end up showing their true face towards the end. Which explains why the novel was never published in the communist world.
First printed in West Germany in 1984, Schwarzenberg did not appear on eastern bookshelves until after the Cold War ended. Maybe the right moment for its reception had by then simply passed.
The Free Republic of Schwarzenberg was a real country. One I didn't find out about this until discovering a short footnote about its existence while digging myself down a major rabbit hole on Wikipedia. I'd been at the latter for the better part of an hour or so. Slow day at the office. You know the drill.
Let's take a look back. The year is 1945. World War II has ended, and both Soviet and American troops take up their positions in a newly divided Germany. What areas are to be occupied by whom seems like a clear-cut deal, except for the small area around Schwarzenberg in Saxony. Here, the information about which army is supposed to occupy the region gets rather cryptic.
Nobody wants to risk a conflict over a piece of land so irrelevant. Best to stay back and let the others deal with the situation. And so, neither of the two victorious armies ends up occupying Schwarzenberg. It becomes the last stretch of Germany left to its own devices after the nation was utterly crushed in human history's biggest and deadliest conflict. And now what?
Enter an irregular committee of workers from the unoccupied towns. Most of them were active communists or social democrats in the dying Weimar Republic. With peace now at hand, the idea of a better tomorrow under socialist principles seems closer than ever. Good thing too, they have their friends from the mighty USSR sitting right next door, willing and eager to help wherever possible. Are they though?
Two personalities evidently stand out from this colorful mix of locals. One is Max Wolfram, the son of Jewish parents, who went to study philosophy in Berlin. He could never fully finalize that dream of his once the Nazis came to power, for obvious reasons. Now, back in his home region, he is nonetheless an educated intellectual among working class citizens.
The other is comrade Reinsiepe. While also from Schwarzenberg, he disappeared years ago, leaving no trace. Even after returning, his whereabouts in the meantime mostly remain a mystery. He seems to have his own agenda, which no-one worries about in particular, for now.
The worker's committee soon gets busy building their new utopia. Between hunting down remaining Nazi leaders hiding out on their territory and deporting prisoners of war back to their respective homelands (mostly Soviet Russia), they slowly begin to create their very own post-war order. Communication with both Americans and Soviets occurs regularly in an effort to secure the small territory's unexpected sovereignty. The committee's socialist and anti-fascist nature quickly clears up all questions as to which foreign power they'd rather work with. The Soviets are friends of an ideological nature, obviously. The Americans meanwhile...can they really be trusted? The bulk of the committee seems to have their minds made up about the matter.
In the end, nobody but a helpless Max Wolfram manages to see the Soviets' intention of marching into Schwarzenberg and incorporating the young republic into their own territory after all. An attempt of his to secure American support for Schwarzenberg's independence results in comrade Reinsiepe cooperating with Soviet officers to have Wolfram arrested and deported into the Soviet occupation zone. A marauding group of former Nazi soldiers, which the worker's committee can't seem to get under control, gives the Red Army all the pretense they needed to invade.
As the book's final act wraps up, the fates of most characters remain relatively uncertain. Years later, a rehabilitated Max Wolfram lectures at Leipzig University, discussing the concept of utopian societies throughout history. They are, according to him, wild fantasies made up by dreamers and hardly rooted in the harsh realities of the world we live in. Was Schwarzenberg an exception to the rule in any way? His answer is no.
There are no heroes in this story. Everyone, even the supposed friends from the Soviet Union end up showing their true face towards the end. Which explains why the novel was never published in the communist world.
First printed in West Germany in 1984, Schwarzenberg did not appear on eastern bookshelves until after the Cold War ended. Maybe the right moment for its reception had by then simply passed.
September 11, 2022
Diese fast schon vergessene Geschichte ist wirklich gut erzählt. Heym gelingt es, durch die unterschiedlichen Perspektiven uns ahnen zu lassen, welchen Konflikten, Widersprüchen und Herausforderungen man sich damals gegenübergestellt sah. Und dies alles ohne zu belehren oder bis ins kleinste Detail zu erklären.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews