Alfred Döblin

Alfred Döblin (August 10th 1878, Stettin, then in Germany - June 26th 1957, Emmendingen, Germany) was a Médecin and German writer . He acquired the French Nationalité in 1936. Of Jewish origin , it was converted with the Catholicisme into 1941. He is the author of the novel Berlin Alexanderplatz .

Biography

Germany

Resulting from a middle-class family Jewish, which had moved with Berlin in 1888 after his/her father emigrated in America with a younger woman, the young Alfred Döblin is very early impassioned by the Technological advance, that it côtoie daily during its town life. Doctor Neurologist of 1905 with 1930 with Regensburg, Freiburg and Berlin, Alfred Döblin begins his collaboration with Herwarth Walden in 1910, and takes part in the newspaper expressionnist then lately founded Der Sturm (france: the storm ).

Having for literary and philosophical models Heinrich von Kleist, Friedrich Hölderlin and Friedrich Nietzsche, Alfred Döblin belonged to these precursory writers who used the radio as media of diffusion.

In 1912, Döblin marries Erna Reiss - from their union will be born four children. He passes the major part of the First World War in a lazaret in Alsace, where he exerts the functions of army medical officer. It during this war that it starts to write its novel Wallenstein , is published in 1920.

Established in the sector of Berlin-Lichtenberg, he is the eyewitness of the engagements of March 1919 in Berlin, from which the weather will be later during the subject of his novel November 1918 . During its Berliner period, Döblin writes many articles (for example in connection with plays or of films, but also on the life in the streets of the capital), inter alia for the daily newspaper in German language Prager Tagblatt . These articles offer a seizing image of the daily life in the Berlin of the Weimar Republic, and some of these drafts were integrated by Döblin in its novel Berlin Alexanderplatz .

In its political texts of this time, Döblin criticizes the German socialist party (SPD) for its collaboration with the president Hindenburg, positioning thus on the left.

The exile

In February 1933, after the arrival of Adolf Hitler with the capacity, Alfred Döblin and his family flee in Switzerland, then in France, where they obtain French nationality in 1936. In 1939, when the war bursts, Döblin enters the ministry for French propaganda, where it writes leaflets with other German emigrants. It is with these collaborators of the ministry that Döblin and his wife flee in the south of France in June 1940, before embarking for Lisbon then to emigrate with Los Angeles, where he briefly works for cinema industry.

His/her son, Wolfgang Döblin (volunteer in the French Army), commits suicide the May 20th 1940 with Housseras, not to fall between the hands from the Nazis, after having sent under fold to the Academy of Science his research on the equation of Kolmogorov. The November 30th 1941, Döblin and his wife convert with the Catholicisme, which is lived like a treason by the Jewish community in exile.

The return

The October 15th 1945, it is one of the first authors in exile to return to Europe. It initially reaches Paris, where he becomes literary inspector of the French military administration, with Baden-Baden, then with Mainz. Its work consisted in censuring the manuscripts and the preparations of a monthly newspaper, which ends up appearing under the name of Das goldene Tor (france: the gold door).

In addition, Alfred Döblin works for the Neue Zeitung (france: New Newspaper ) and for the radio Südwestfunk . It is also surrounded of a group of young writers, among whom one can count Günter Grass.

Quickly disappointed by the political restoration of the post-war period, especially after the failure of its revolutionary novel 1918 , Döblin turns a time to GDR, where it approaches Johannes R. Becher, and between with the academy of art, that it leaves quickly because of socialist dogmatism. It writes nevertheless articles for newspapers of GDR, and its novel Hamlet or the long night ends appears only in East Germany.

Returned to France in 1953, Döblin remains there until its death. His wife will commit suicide with Paris the September 15th 1957, three months after her death. According to their request, Döblin and his wife are buried in Housseras, respectively with the right-hand side and the left of their son.

Works

Berlin Alexanderplatz

The most known work of Alfred Döblin is his Berlin Alexanderplatz , gone back to 1929. In this work, Döblin describes the hollows of the Berlin years 1925-1930. The main character takes the figure of the anti-hero: Franz Biberkopf is a repented criminal that fate catches up with and who falls down in the delinquency. This resolutely modern account is composed of biblical and mythological references, joinings of extracts of newspapers and mixes the tragedy with the popular drolery, in a cacophony and an alarming chaos. The techniques of joining and simultaneity had already been tested by Döblin as a collaborator with the newspaper " The tempête" , in reference to work of futuristic Italian, writers like Filippo Tommaso Marinetti or painters like Umberto Boccioni, Luigi Russolo and Carlo Carrà. These techniques, already present in the assassination of a buttercup finds its apogee in Berlin Alexanderplatz .

This novel is often compared in France with Voyage at the end of the night of Céline (both were written between the two World wars). This chief of work of the German literature articulates himself around the place Alexander in Berlin, in the years 1925-1930, whereas the novel of Celine opens on the place from Clichy to Paris.

Berlin Alexanderplatz was adapted to the cinema with many recoveries, initially in 1931 by Piel Jutzi with Heinrich George in the role of Franz Biberkopf, then in 1979 by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, which made a series of 13 episodes of it, long of more than 900 minutes.

Ætheria

This novel gone back to 1949 occupies a particular place in the work of Döblin because it emphasizes a mystical dimension of the personality of the author. Converted with Catholicism in 1941, Döblin finds with this work, the shortly after the Second world war, a voice of appeasing and reconciliation.

The novel is inspired freely by the figure with legendary half by Éthérie or Égérie, supposed author of a newspaper of voyage to Jerusalem; it however does not have anything history. The Mediterranean world of the first centuries of the Christian era is used here as backdrop with a narration of a total freedom which makes of this voyage, with its multiple bounces, an initiatory adventure where the imaginary one leads to the doors of the mystic.

Extract:

“Ætheria had known happiness at the time of its crossing. Here, it recovered to help the others as if it were at it and not in pilgrimage. It gave its support for the weak people and led them in the vault of Eusebius. Not to betray themselves, it needed, gladly badly liking, to take share with the prayers. And although it followed them without enthusiasm and with distraction, it was quickly involved in the extase, as by violence, against its decision to hold good and simply to take care of the women whom it had brought here. Here that it was extended on the ground and involved the others which requested with enthusiasm and balbutiaient.

Eusebius, the superior, detested this kind in manners. He spoke in Ætheria, before it sets out again, on an unfriendly tone, and questioned it. It felt ashamed while testing anger against itself. It was to be the fault of this mysterious man. He did not release it. It the Jura, for the case where it would be necessary to give the feet in this vault, to think of Hestia and to request Rhéa, the Large Mother. Yes: she wanted to beseech her protection because she was not chrétienne.

Je should not have followed them, deplored it. So only this terrifying character showed itself again with me, him which believes any knowledge on me and which advised me to go to Jerusalem, while knowing perfectly that I carry the mourning of Valerio secretly. Is this to help me to attract me here? I will not leave myself berner. One day, one led them to Bethlehem, all were filled up of a burning desire and a deep happiness to the idea to go to Bethlehem where the Jesus Child had been in the crib, where the Saver had come in our appalling world. Ætheria accompanied the others. It had to take share with the prayers. It was very decided. She called upon the Large Rhéa Mother, and surmounted with happiness the épreuves.

Mais the last day, it was seized by something moreover more extremely than it. This time, the struck blow was violent. It was at the end of the prayer, to which it had been made as decided as sure on itself. At the end of very little time, it was put at bredouiller and its glance became radiant. It was told later to him. It made the joy of all. She was envied. All converged in it towards a single convulsive vibration. But the second time, it was more serious and fuller of consequences for elle.

Aux old times, one remembers it, three kings come from the East went to Bethlehem to pay homage to the king of the kings, whereas nobody of other that his/her mother did not know it. They brought gifts to him, the first present, the first testimonys of respect of the terrestrial world, this world which owed him its existence.

Ils brought gold, myrrh and incense, it had been necessary for them to make a long voyage and to raise many questions to find their way. But a small star in the sky came to them in aide.

Elle progressed in front of them, they followed it until the moment when they arrived at the cave where holy Mère of God and the child were. The star stopped above the cave. Oh! how long ran out since the magi went to Bethlehem to pay homage to the child in the crib!

L' child grows, became Jesus de Nazareth, who walked on through all the country, preaching the love and making miracles, and for this reason the Romans, when it had reached the age of thirty-three years, sought it in the upper town of Jerusalem to lead it on Golgotha where it was crucifié between two small drainage canals, which it had provided, just as it had envisaged and predicted what occurred thereafter: its resurrection at the third day. They found its tomb empty. It was assembled to the sky to sit down with the right-hand side of his Father. ”

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