Sharon made me do it. After reading Gesammeltes Schweigen – a collection of Böll's short story "Doktor Murkes gesammeltes Schweigen" and a companion essay of Otoo's – I am now a Böll stan. Like, I am utterly obsessed with this man. And mad (and grateful) that I never studied him in school. I wish I would've been introduced to his work earlier but then again, German class would've probably sucked the enjoyment right out of this brilliant writer. So be it, I discovered Böll in my mid-20s and fell in love with him!
I've struggled with German literature, especially German classics, ever since I was first assigned them in school, and so this discovery actually makes me emotional. I never thought I would be able to feel connected in such a deep way to a German writer of the past. I know this sounds nonsensical, as I read lots of classics from all over the world, and never have problems with connecting with these authors, but German literature has always been different. My school education has erected this barrier, this destain inside of me, that I thought I'd never get over. To be honest, I didn't even try. The only German classic author I consciously checked out after my school years was Kafka, and I only read his Metamorphosis. So you can't really say that I tried. But I'm definitely going to read more Böll in the future now. Can't wait to see more of what he's got in stock.
This particular book is a collection of five of his satires/ short stories: "Doktor Murkes gesammeltes Schweigen", "Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit", "Es wird etwas geschehen", "Hauptstädtisches Journal" and "Der Wegwerfer". I will review each satire, except for the first one, as I will review that one in my review for Gesammeltes Schweigen (the Böll/Otoo book) – so look out for that!
"Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit" (5 stars)
This is a story which Böll first read during the meeting of "Gruppe 47" at Berlepsch Castle in early November 1952. It is considered the writer's first satire. And it's fucking brilliant! One of the most hilarious things I've ever read!
With "Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit," Böll satirically takes aim at the restorative tendencies in postwar Germany. The focus is on Aunt Milla, wife of the narrator's uncle, who wants to finally celebrate Christmas in the first post-war year as she did before the war. Unfortunately, she then falls into the madness that henceforth every day is Christmas Eve punctually at 6:30 p.m., and sticks to it for over two years. In this immortalized Christmas celebration, Böll captures the atmosphere of his time, which was aimed more at preservation than renewal.
Favorite quotes: "Denn der Krieg wurde von meiner Tante Milla nur registriert als eine macht, die schon Weihnachten 1939 anfing, ihren Weihnachtsbaum zu gefährden."
"Jedenfalls wurde der Weihnachtsbaum meiner Tante ein Opfer – von anderen Opfern zu sprechen, verbietet mir der rote Faden – der modernen Kriegsführung."
This quotes, as well as the satire as a whole, is absolutely chilling. Böll captures the German unwillingness to talk about the atrocities we committed during the 30s and 40s. He is ruthless and relentless in his portrayal of this German intentional silence, the wish to keep going as if nothing had happened. This story should be assigned reading in every German class room!
"Es wird etwas geschehen" (4 stars)
In this short story, the modern working world is satirically taken to task. The protagonist is once again forced to take a job in order to earn their living. At the aptitude test, he is so overly workaholic that he gets the job right away. As the story progresses, the example of the boss's deputy and his secretary illustrates how much one person can supposedly accomplish at the same time. The protagonist learns to operate more and more telephones at the same time and takes pleasure in varying the company's key phrase (= the short story's title) in ever new linguistic ways.
This seemingly beautiful life ends when one day his boss collapses before his eyes, and the protagonist realizes at the funeral that he is the ideal mourner. In the end, he makes this his new profession. The story ends with the protagonist gladly visiting the grave of his former boss again and again, to whom he is grateful for his professional development. Only on this occasion does he ask himself what was actually produced in the factory and guesses that it must have been soap.
Not as funny as the "Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit", this satire packs an emotional punch nonetheless. I'm not sure if Böll was a communist but I know for sure that he wasn't a capitalist after reading this gem of a story!
"Hauptstädtisches Journal" (3.5 stars)
"Als die Armee des Marschalls […] den Rückzug antreten mußte, konnte Hürlanger-Hiß nur 8500 Mann Verluste nachweisen. Nach Berechnungen erfahrener Rückzugsspezialisten des Tapir – so nannten wir im vertrauten Gespräch Hitler, wie Sie wissen – hätte seine Armee aber bei entsprechendem Kampfesmut 12300 Mann Verluste haben müssen ..."
But, of course, the newly appointed General Machorka-Muff, speaking for the "Hürlanger-Hiß Academy of Military Memories", can present new findings with much higher casualty figures that restore the honor of that scorned marshal.
"Hauptstädtisches Journal" is an interesting look at memory, the preservation of memory, the distortion of facts, and German unwillingness to break with their old Nazi "darlings". The picture Böll paints in this story of postwar Germany is a bleak one ("Opposition", fragte ich, "was ist das? [...] Haben wir die Mehrheit oder haben wir sie nicht?"). Instead of renewal and reformation, and purge of the Nazi politicians and military officers, every crime, if possible, is hidden and people proceed working in their old jobs and retain their positions of power.
Favorite quote: "Auch ich freue mich", sagte ich warm, "dass einer meiner Jugendträume Wirklichkeit geworden ist. Und das in einer Demokratie."
"Der Wegwerfer" (4 stars)
The protagonist reports - rather bashfully and hesitantly - about his daily work routine at an honorable insurance company. In the basement of the building, the throwaway sorts out unwanted advertising from the mailbags twice a day.
The number of advertising letters is immense. Thus, one can "see the porter carrying away in a tin basket the size of a school satchel what remained of the contents of three mail sacks." Böll's protagonist has calculated - benevolently - a "concentrate" of 1:300: It takes him just one hour to destroy the result of 200 hours of work by printers, typesetters, draftsmen and copywriters in the advertising industry. Added to this are another 100 man-hours saved within the insurance company itself.
The daily destruction of other people's work nevertheless causes the throwaway to have a guilty conscience. He feels confronted with the accusation of asociality. This is also the reason why he is initially reluctant to say exactly what he does for a living.
This satire is more relevant than ever in our digital age. The digital (and physical) garbage we receive on a daily basis, in terms of advertisement that we didn't ask nor pay for, is immense. Böll's story is almost prophetic. Advertising is always associated with stress. We don't want it but we can't escape it.