The tsar's madman

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The locations of the novel on a map of the Baltic provinces of Estonia, Livonia and Courland. The former (and current) names of the marked places are: Reval (Tallinn), Riga (Rīga), Dorpat (Tartu), Mitau (Jelgava), Pernau (Pärnu), St. Petersburg (Санкт-Петербург) and Shlisselburg (Шлиссельбург)
Shlisselburg Fortress, where Timotheus von Bock was imprisoned.
The Woiseck manor house, at that time the residence of the von Bock family.

Keisri hull (German translation: Der Verrückte des Zaren , 1988) is the title of a historical novel by the Estonian writer Jaan Kross (1920–2007).

novel

The novel was first published in 1978 by the state publisher Eesti Raamat . Contrary to the common practice in the former Soviet Estonia, it had not previously appeared in the Estonian literary magazine Looming . The book is the most translated book by Jaan Kross and one of the most translated books in Estonian literature .

action

The novel is laid out as a diary of a fictional person, Jakob Mättik's brother-in-law of the main character. This main character is Timotheus von Bock , a historically documented person who lived from 1787 to 1836. He is a typical representative of the German upper class in Estonia , which not only had the say in the country itself, but whose representatives held many high positions in the government and the military throughout the entire Russian Empire .

Von Bock had come a long way in Saint Petersburg . He had become a confidante and friend of Tsar Alexander I , who ruled from 1801 to 1825. At the same time, he was considered comparatively unconventional among the German upper class, as he had married an Estonian peasant girl, Eeva, and thus violated the prevailing etiquette. Because in the eyes of the nobility, the autochthonous Estonian population was an “ un-German ” class with which one could not do common cause. Timothy had ransomed his bride and her relatives at the time of serfdom .

In the service of the Russian tsar, von Bock had promised the autocrat that he would always tell the truth when it came to conditions in the empire. And he kept this promise, which soon became his undoing: In a factual memorandum about the conditions in Russia, von Bock did not mince his words and said frankly how things were in the ailing giant empire, namely not at all Well. Everything was backward, instead of the rule of law there was often arbitrariness, thorough reforms such as a modern constitution had to be found. This expressed the same enlightenment sentiment that had allowed the nobles to marry an Estonian.

But that went too far for the autocrat, and the reaction of the tsar in the face of so much unadorned honesty corresponded to the constraints of the system of that time. Timotheus von Bock fell out of favor and was imprisoned, isolated and tortured in the Schluesselburg fortress . For years he had completely disappeared from the scene.

Then, in 1827, during the reign of the new Tsar Nicholas I (1825–1855), von Bock officially declared crazy. He is allowed to spend the last years of his life relatively freely - albeit under constant spying - with his family on his Woiseck estate ( Võisiku ) in Estonia. This is where the brother-in-law's diary begins, which not only sheds light on everyday events, but also in historical digressions the history of the origins of his brother-in-law's problems. Various documents and memoranda are quoted in detail, while the restrictive spying and the unpredictable whims of Timothy are also described. This creates a diverse picture of the aristocratic-scheming society, but also of the arbitrariness of the autocrats and the internal contradictions of the tsarist system.

But after a good two years, Eeva, Timotheus and Jacob can no longer stand the situation and decide to flee to western countries. Everything necessary is arranged conspiratorially. In September 1829, under cover of night, they want to board a ship in Pernau ( Pärnu ) that will take them across the Baltic Sea and ultimately to Switzerland . But at the literal last second, Timothy waves it aside and refuses to leave the country. They return to the estate without having achieved anything , where Timotheus von Bock, the tsar's madman , seven years later under circumstances that have never been completely clarified - suicide or an accident while cleaning weapons? - dies.

interpretation

The novel - published in 1978, ie at the zenith of Brezhnev's policy of stagnation and a year before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan - has been read time and again primarily as an allegory of the situation in the Soviet Union .

It begins in the first paragraph, in which the diary writer puzzles over the meaning and danger of writing a diary: “It is impossible to foresee whether there is any talk of keeping a diary. It seems so dubious - in our times so unfavorable for diary writing, in such an unsuitable country and in our family completely unsuitable for this purpose. ”Consequently, the diary must remain a secret, the parallel to contemporary Soviet society could not be clearer.

Such an interpretation is certainly justified; historical prose is often used in totalitarian societies to deal with contemporary problems. Nevertheless, it would be too short a step to read the novel merely as an allegory of socialism. In the novel, as in many of his others, Jaan Kross is explicitly concerned with the problem of “power - loyalty - truth”. We see the helplessness of the rulers who are dependent on the aristocratic class supporting them, which is why this helplessness can turn into fear of rebellious, rebellious subjects; and that again can lead to the unscrupulous exercise of their power. For the “madman” it is about balancing between consistently advancing on the chosen path, that is, fulfilling the oath of truth, and leaving it in order to save his own skin. How important is your own freedom and what is it anyway?

The culmination of the novel in the refusal to flee also contains the core message: an escape would have been equated with giving up, adapting, and subordinating. The will to stay in the country is not an adaptation, but an uncompromising protest. The focus is therefore on the unruly staying at home, the disruptive and stubborn presence that is so unpopular to those in power.

Such questions are not limited to totalitarian systems , but are of global relevance. Therefore, even decades after its publication and after the system change in the country in which it was written - Estonia has been independent again since 1991 - the novel is one of the most important texts in Estonian literature, which repeatedly inspires new readings and new interpretations.

Famous quotes

(A German noblewoman in view of Bocks' church visit with his Estonian wife :) “I would rather say my prayer in the cowshed! At least you know where you are! "(Also in the Estonian original in German)

(Timo calling off the escape :) “I can't drive. (...) Only those who want to take revenge go abroad. (...) Those who want something more essential stay at home. (...) This is my battle - with the tsar, with the tsarist empire, with what we have (...) No, no, if already gone, then not to Switzerland, but to there (...) behind Irkutsk , where the others are already. For me, the only right thing to do is to be where I am forced to be. There - like an iron nail in the flesh of the tsarist empire ... "

reception

Reception in Germany

With a total of seven book editions and an estimated total of 60,000 copies, the novel is one of the most widespread texts in Estonian literature in German-speaking countries.

The first German edition was published in the GDR in 1988, in addition to the regular edition from Verlag Rütten & Loening, as well as the book club edition.

After the collapse of the GDR, the same translation was published again in 1990 by Hanser-Verlag , followed by three paperback editions by dtv and finally one issue within a series of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Overall, the Hanser edition has been reviewed at least 30 times in the German feature pages.

Translations into other languages

The following list is probably not complete, as the exact number of translations was not known even to the author himself, especially since pirate editions were occasionally organized. The translator is given in brackets.

  • 1982: Finnish - Keisarin hullu (Juhani Salokannel). Helsinki: WSOY.
  • 1983: Swedish - Kejsarens galning (Ivo Iliste, Birgitta Göranson). Bromma: Fripress Bokförlag.
  • 1983: Hungarian - A cár örältje (Gábor Bereczki). Budapest: Európa Könyvkiadó.
  • 1984: Russian - Императорский безумец (Olga Samma). Moskva: Sov. Pissatel.
  • 1984: Bulgarian - Императорският безумец (I. Totomanov). Sofija: Narodna kultura.
  • 1985: Czech - Blázon Jeho Veličenstva (Vladimír Macura). Praha.
  • 1985: Lithuanian - Imperatoriaus beprotis (Danutė Sirijos Giraitė). Vilnius.
  • 1985: Slovak - Blázon z vôle Jeho Velinčenstva (Ivan Slimák). Bratislava.
  • 1986: Norwegian - Keisarens galning (Turid Farbregd). Oslo
  • 1988: German s. O.
  • 1988: Polish - Cesarski szaleniec (Henryk Chłystowski). Warszawa.
  • 1988: Ukrainian - Императорский божевiлец (O. Zavgorodni). Kiev: Dnipro.
  • 1989: French - Le fou du tzar (translated by Jean-Luc Moreau). Paris: Laffont.
  • 1992: Danish - Tsarens galning (Søren Sørensen). København.
  • 1992: Dutch - De gek van de tsaar (Ronald Jonkers). Amsterdam: Prometheus.
  • 1992: English - The Czar's Madman (Anselm Hollo). New York: Pantheon.
  • 1992: Portuguese - O louco do czar (R. Freire d'Aguiar). Sao Paolo.
  • 1992: Spanish - El loco del zar (Joaquín Jordá). Barcelona.
  • 1994: Italian - Il pazzo dello zar (Arnaldo Alberti). Milan.
  • 1995: Japanese - 狂人 と 呼 ば れ た 男 あ る エ ス ト ニ ア 貴族 の 愛 と 反逆 ( Kyōjin to yobareta otoko: Aru Esutonia kizoku no ai to hangyaku ) (Fuyuhi Sawasaki). Tokyo: Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
  • 1997: Modern Greek -
  • 1999: Latvian - Ķeisara trakais (Maima Grinberga). Riga.
  • 2009: Croatian - Careva luda (Ivana Šojat-Kuči). Zagreb: Fraktura.
  • 2017: Macedonian - Царевиот лудак (Marija Trajikoska). Skopje: Prozart Media 2017. 452 pp.

literature

  • Malle Salupere: Mõnda mõistatuslik inimese elukäigust. Lisandust TEvBocki tundmiseks . In: Looming , 1990, No. 7, pp. 983-993, ISSN  0134-4536
  • Tiina Aunin: Discourse Between History and the Novel. ( Gore Vidal 's "Lincoln", with Comparative Notes on Jaan Kross' "The Czar's Madman") . In: interlitteraria , Vol. 1 (1996), pp. 11-25, ISSN  1406-0701
  • Cornelius Hasselblatt : Keisri hull . In: Kindlers Literatur Lexikon , Vol. 9: Kes – Len . 3rd, completely revised edition. Metzler, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-476-04000-8 , p. 452.
  • Maire Jaanus: Estonia and pain. Jaan Kross' "The Czar's Madman" . In: Journal of Baltic Studies , Vol. 31 (2000), Issue 3, pp. 253-272, ISSN  0162-9778
  • Tiina Kirss: History and narrative. An introduction to the fiction on Jaan Kross . In: Cross Currents , Vol. 6 (1987), pp. 397-404, ISSN  0748-0164
  • Tiina Kirss: The missing teeth of memory . In: estonia , 4/1989, pp. 149-157, ISSN  0930-8792
  • Ljubov Kisseljova: Vene ajalugu ja kultuur Jaan Krossi romaanis "Keisri hull" . In: Keel ja Kirjandus , 5/2010, pp. 321-330, ISSN  0131-1441
  • Martin Carayol (Ed.): Jaan Kross: bilan et découvertes. Actes de la journée Jaan Kross, November 28, 2008 (Bibliothèque finno-ougrienne, 20). L'Harmattan, Paris 2011, ISBN 978-2296-56073-4 .
  • Eneken Laanes: Jakob Mättik Jaan Krossi "Keisri hullus". Jutustajast tegelaseks . In: Acta Collegii Humaniorum Estoniensis , 4/2004, pp. 201-219, ISSN  1406-0558
  • Hendrik Markgraf: memory and poet of the Estonians. Jaan Kross . In: FAZ Magazin of February 22, 1991 (8th week, no. 573), pp. 13-18.
  • Lea Pild: Leitmotiivide poeetika Jaan Krossi romaanis “Keisri hull” . In: Keel ja Kirjandus , 12/2012, pp. 889–904, ISSN  0131-1441
  • Susanne Raubold: Jaan Kross: “If you want something essential, you stay at home”. In: du. Die Zeitschrift der Kultur , 12/1992, pp. 28–31, ISSN  0012-6837
  • Juhani Salokannel: Sivistystahto. Jaan Kross, we have teoksensa yes virolaisuus . Söderström, Helsinki 2008, ISBN 978-951-0-33540-6 .
  • Jürgen Serke : “Be my fool, Timotheus!” In: Die Welt from August 4, 1990.
  • Olaf Schwencke (Ed.): The Tsar's Crazy. Jaan Kross in Loccum (Loccumer Protocols 58 / '89). Evangelical Academy, Loccum 1990, ISBN 3-8172-5889-5 .
  • Elsbeth Wolffheim : A fighter against the autocracy. “The Tsar's Madman” by Jaan Kross. in Neue Zürcher Zeitung of November 11, 1990.
  • Martin Halter: Like a nail in the flesh of the empire. Jaan Kross' novel «The Tsar's Madman». in Hannoversche Allgemeine of October 25, 1990.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jaan Kross: Keisri hull . Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1978.
  2. ↑ Ülo Tuulik : "Keisri hull", "Jäine raamat", "Valgus Koordis". In: Luup 23, November 10, 1997, pp. 48-49.
  3. ↑ Woiseck (Võisiku) is located west of Oberpahlen ( Põltsamaa ) between Dorpat ( Tartu ) and Reval ( Tallinn ) in what was then the governorate of Livonia . This place is now in the Estonian district of Jõgeva .
  4. ↑ Jaan Kross: Keisri hull. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1984, p. 7
  5. ↑ Jaan Kross: Keisri hull. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1978, p. 55
  6. ↑ Jaan Kross: Keisri hull. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1978, pp. 268-269
  7. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt : Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011, p. 320
  8. ↑ Jaan Kross: The Tsar's Madman. Historical novel. German by Helga Viira . Berlin: Rütten & Loening 1988
  9. ↑ Jaan Kross: The Tsar's Madman. Translated from Estonian by Helga Viira. Munich, Vienna: Hanser 1990
  10. ↑ Jaan Kross: The Tsar's Madman. Historical novel. German by Helga Viira. Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1994 (11919); 2003 and 2004 as dtv 20655
  11. ↑ Jaan Kross: The Tsar's Madman. Novel. Translated from Estonian by Helga Viira. Munich: Süddeutsche Zeitung 2007. 365 p. (Süddeutsche Zeitung | Library No. 78)
  12. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian Literature in the German Language 1784-2003. Bibliography of primary and secondary literature. Bremen: Hempen Verlag 2004, pp. 66–80
  13. ↑ Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2011, p. 320, footnote 164