The Psalms Controversy

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The psalm dispute ( Dutch Het psalmenoproer ), translated into German by Gregor Seferens , is a 2006 published novel by the Dutch writer Maarten 't Hart . The focus of the novel is the life of the ship owner Roemer Stroombreker from Maassluis between 1739 and 1811.

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The plot begins in 1739. The young Roemer, son of a shipowner, and his poor friend Thade ponder various statements in the Hebrew Bible, e. B. About Paradise or Noah's Ark , and thus come into conflict with the presbyter Schlump, who leads the confirmation class , who usually beat his cane on Thade, but not on the son of the shipowner. Roemer catches a blow on his friend, which causes Schlump to take the case to the presbytery.

The wealthy parents are looking for a good match for the young Roman in order to increase the family fortune. He is urged to marry the shipowner's daughter Diderica Croockewerff, a tall and unattractive woman who, however, brings two ships into the marriage. With four ships, two guns and two hookers , Roemer becomes a successful shipowner.

When they are in bed for the first time, Roemer is repelled by a pungent fishy smell from Diderica's pubic area. Roemer moves out of the shared bedroom and soon people in town suspect that he is impotent. However, this is not the case. With the attractive Netzflickerin Anna Kortweyl, the wife of one of his boatmen, it comes to spontaneous sexual intercourse in the open air. Anna is poor and lonely while her husband is at sea. She becomes pregnant and passes the child she names Gilles as the son of herself and her husband. Roemer supports them with money and sees Gilles as his son.

The years go by and Romans press economic worries. The herring fishery is in bad shape. Gilles, meanwhile grown up, is full of hatred for the rich citizens and rebels with other young men against the Calvinist society. The dispute is sparked by the question of how the Psalms should be sung in the worship of the Reformed community. While the wealthy bourgeoisie would like to introduce the new "short way of singing", the common people want to stick to the traditional "long" way of singing from Petrus Dathenus .

Gilles becomes one of the leaders of the uprising. There were attacks on the houses of the citizens who eventually asked the Bailiff of Delft for help. He has the uprising suppressed by force and imprisoned the leaders. Gilles is sentenced to twelve years in exile.

Roemer realizes that his prime is over. Diderica dies. Anna separates from her husband and comes to Roemer's house as a maid. Roemer soon established an intimate relationship with Anna and hoped that Gilles could be his successor in the shipping company after his return from exile. Roemer is elected mayor and is one of the most respected men in Maassluis. Nobody suspects anything of his relationship with Anna.

While Roemer is enjoying his life with Anna, unrest breaks out again in Maassluis, this time between the patriots and the prince-minded, as the supporters of the governor, Prince William V of Orange , are called. Gilles returns before his banishment term expires and is arrested. When Roemer tries to free Gilles, he is knocked down by Gilles, who suspects that Roemer has a relationship with his mother. Gilles managed to escape and there was no suspicion of Roemer. More years go by, Roemer and Anna marry after their husband died off Iceland.

In 1811 Roemer, now 81 years old, travels with a delegation from Maassluis to Amsterdam . The Netherlands belongs to the French Empire and is at war with England . The representatives of Maassluis want to meet Emperor Napoleon and hope for his support for the herring fishery.

On the drive to Napoleon's residence , Roemer recognizes Gilles in the coachman, who also recognizes him. On the way back with another driver, Roemer collapses in the coach. It remains to be seen whether he just felt faint or died.

background

The Psalms Controversy is a historical novel that reflects the author's love for novels from the 18th and 19th centuries. Similar to other works by the studied biologist Maarten 't Hart, “The Psalms Controversy” also contains autobiographical elements. The plot takes place in 't Hart's hometown Maassluis, just like in Das Anger der welt Welt and Die Netzflickerin , the main character loves music like' t Hart himself and even meets Mozart on a trip . 'T Hart's own religious influence from Calvinism is also reflected in the main character of the Roman Stroombreker, who, like the atheist ' t Hart, is aloof from religion .

The plot of the novel goes back to an actual dispute in 1773, when the so-called “new rhyming of the Psalms” was supposed to replace the way of singing the Psalms according to Petrus Dathenus , which had been common in the Reformed churches in the Netherlands . The disputes over the chanting of the psalms are only the trigger for the social tensions of that time. The herring fishery no longer offered enough jobs, life had become enormously expensive and the fishermen lived in poverty. In this situation, the anger of the heated mob against the rich citizens and their property is discharged.

Book editions

Dutch:

German:

  • Maarten 't Hart: The Psalms Controversy. German by Gregor Seferens. Piper, Munich / Zurich 2007, hardback, ISBN 978-3-492-04953-5 .
  • Maarten 't Hart: The Psalms Controversy. German by Gregor Seferens. Piper Taschenbuch, Munich / Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-492-25288-1 .

Audio book:

  • Maarten 't Hart: The Psalms Controversy. Audio book. Abridged reading with Max Volkert Martens. Box set w. 6 CDs, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg / Der Hörverlag 2007. (Length 7:22 hours; also available as MP3 download), ISBN 978-3-8445-0358-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Maarten 't Hart: The Psalms Controversy. Piper, Munich; Zurich 2007, ISBN 978-3-492-04953-5 .