The fortress (Jaeger)

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The fortress is Henry Jaeger's debut novel, published in 1962 , which he wrote during a seven-year prison sentence in Freiburg prison . The novel was translated into several languages ​​and made into a film in 1964 under the title Damned to Sin .

content

The novel tells the fate of the Starosta family, who after the Second World War and their escape from East Prussia lived in an old fortress used as emergency shelter. The main character is the father Hugo Starosta, who appears to be a strong man, but in reality depends on his wife, her strength and performance. It remains unclear whether he was work-shy and unfit for life before he lost his home or whether he only developed these traits afterwards. But the author suggests that Starosta will stay that way.

reception

Jaeger's first work received positive reviews from contemporary critics. It also proved to be quite successful with the public and developed into a bestseller translated into 17 languages ​​with a worldwide circulation of over 750,000 copies. Almost 50 years later, Gerd Küveler described the novel as follows in an article on Henry Jaeger:

“'The fortress' is a milieu study of poor uprooted people - mostly refugees - after the war, who live barracked in a former fortress. The story is moving, despite, or perhaps thanks to, its kitsch-free realism. "

- Gerd Küveler : World Online

Just two years after its publication, the novel was made into a film under the direction of Alfred Weidenmann ( Damned to Sin ). Hugo Starosta was played by Martin Held . The main female roles were played by Heidelinde Weis (Edeltraut) and Hildegard Knef (Alwine). The role of Starosta's grandmother took on Tilla Durieux , who was awarded the German film prize for best supporting actress in 1965 for her portrayal .

The book cover of the first edition published by Kurt-Desch-Verlag was designed by the artist and graphic artist Wilhelm Neufeld .

expenditure

  • The fortress . Kurt Desch Verlag, 1962.
  • The fortress . Frankfurt Library Volume 1. B3 Verlag und Vertriebs GmbH, 2012. ISBN 978-3-943758-00-9

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Gerd Küveler: Obituary for a crook on Welt Online on February 4, 2010.
  2. ↑ Knud Kohr: Rudi Zimmermann's last round (PDF; 214 kB). In On the Ropes , No. 14, June 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ The fortress - Damn sin in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  4. ↑ Alice Selinger: Wilhelm Neufeld - from commercial artist to press printer (PDF; 1.0 MB). Dissertation, Justus Liebig University Gießen, 2002, p. 77.