The girl's name was Gesine ...
The girl's name was Gesine ... is a story by the children's and youth book author Karl Neumann about a German girl who secretly supported a Soviet prisoner of war at the end of the Second World War . The story was first published by Kinderbuchverlag Berlin in 1966 and had a total of 15 editions by 1988; In 1981 there was a paperback edition . Translations into Ukrainian, Mongolian and Estonian followed, and Gesine appeared in Kiev and Ulan Bator (1970) and in Tallinn (1972). In March 2011 a new edition was published by the Leipziger Kinderbuchverlag. In 1971 there was also a television adaptation in the GDR.
The story has a length of 104 pages. The plot follows - characteristic of a narrative - a straight course without any further structure. The third person narrates from an authorial narrative situation with a large proportion of verbatim speech .
The illustrations for the editions are by Gertrud Zucker . The reading is recommended for readers aged eight and over. The title section also includes a dedication in which the author describes his work as a “Book of Friendship” and dedicates it to his niece, who lives in West Germany.
content
In 1944, eight-year-old Gesine lived with her parents in a cottage on the Birkenhof on the edge of a village. When her father, who had already been sent home as a war invalid, was drafted again, the Birkenhof received the Soviet prisoner of war Nikolai as labor. When Gesine sees the emaciated and injured stranger, she feels pity. Despite the warnings from the adults that this is dangerous and the contempt of the boys, who are noticeably militaristically indoctrinated, Gesine helps Nikolai by bringing him bandages for his feet. The local gendarme Hornig identified Gesine's mother with an embroidered monogram and urged her to help out in his household; in order to avoid reprisals, she finally gives in. Gesine now understands that it is dangerous to help the stranger without understanding why. She now secretly provides him with food, since his daily ration is not sufficient for the strenuous work on the land. He also receives a pair of shoes from Gesine so that he does not have to do the hard work barefoot. Meanwhile, Nikolai longs for his homeland and his wife; he therefore creates a reserve for a planned escape.
When Nikolai rescues the farmer's son after he was injured in a war game with the Hitler Youth from the village, and because of his good work, he receives enough food from the farmer's wife. After 14 days on the farm, Nikolai decides to flee. He leaves Gesine a doll tied with straw. When it becomes apparent that Nikolai has fled, the gendarme and the Hitler Youth are looking for him, albeit unsuccessfully. In order to deny responsibility, this Gesines mother accuses her of having established connections with the prisoner and proves this with the scrap of cloth on which her monogram is embroidered. On the same day Gesine's mother is arrested by the Gestapo . Gesine is supposed to go to a home, but escapes. She goes to the village cobbler who has already helped her once. He drives Gesine to his sister in town and instructs her to impersonate Christine Lohmann from now on . On the first night in town, Gesine dreams of a cuckoo who tells her that the father will return and the mother will be released and that Nikolai will return to his homeland. The narrator affirms that the cuckoo's prophecies have come true.
filming
GDR television filmed the story as an 85-minute television film under the name Gesine . The script came from Neumann, Rainer Hausdorf directed. The cast included Carola Braunbock and Hans-Joachim Hanisch . The premiere was on November 7, 1971.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on editions, editions and publishers ( memento of the original dated November 7, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in the catalog of the German National Library (accessed on January 25, 2011)
- ↑ The girl's name was Gesine ... ( Memento of the original from January 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the website of the Leipziger Kinderbuchverlag (accessed on January 25, 2011)
- ↑ Gesine on the website of the German IMDB (accessed on January 25, 2011)
