The black brothers

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The Black Brothers is a book for young people by the German writer Lisa Tetzner and her husband Kurt Held .

book

The book appeared in two volumes in 1940/1941 and tells the fact-based story of little Giorgio from Sonogno in the Verzasca Valley in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland , who was employed as a chimney sweep boy. Lisa Tetzner had read in old chronicles about the fate of those little boys from the Verzasca Valley and other valleys of Ticino who, because of their small size, were used as chimney sweepers (Italian: Spazzacamini ) in Milan . Up until the middle of the 19th century, these boys were sold to northern Italy for this mission because of economic hardship. Many died in the dangerous work.

The youth novel was started by Lisa Tetzner, but finished by her husband Kurt Held (actually Kurt Kläber). Because he was not allowed to publish as a political refugee in Switzerland, the book was published under the name of his wife. It was Kurt Kläber's first book for young people, who later published Die Rote Zora und seine Gang under the name Kurt Held .

content

Sonogno

Giorgio grew up as a child of poor mountain farmers in the small village of Sonogno. One day his mother breaks her foot. Because the family has no money for the doctor, Giorgio is sold as a chimney sweep. The “man with the scar”, Antonio Luini, brings him to Milan with others. During the dangerous journey, Giorgio befriends Alfredo, who comes from a village in the Misox .

In Milan, Giorgio comes to see master chimney sweep Rossi, who is under the influence of his hard-hearted wife. Giorgio is humiliated by her son Anselmo and hardly gets enough to eat. Rossi's sick daughter Angeletta slips him here and there.

Giorgio becomes friends with other chimney sweep boys and is accepted into the community of the "Black Brothers". Together they defend themselves against the attacks of a crowd of Milanese boys, the "wolves".

Giorgio's friend Alfredo dies of pulmonary tuberculosis in Milan . The two groups reconciled at the funeral.

When Giorgio, who was already severely weakened by the harsh living conditions, almost suffocated while working in a clogged fireplace, the Ticino doctor Dr. Casella for him. He makes sure that Giorgio is a little better from now on.

Anselmo steals from Giorgio and accuses him of lying. He is then wrongly accused of being a liar, thief and burglar. So Giorgio flees Milan with three friends. They are supported by their former enemies, the "wolves". In Lugano they find shelter with Dr. Casella. This also ensures that everything finally turns out to be good. During a stay in Lugano, Giorgio discovered Antonio Luini. He is arrested and sentenced to a long prison term. Nine years later, Giorgio and his wife - Alfredo's sister Bianca - return to Sonogno as a teacher.

  • Italian chimney sweep with his assistant, late 19th century

  • Chimney sweepers in Milan

  • Chimney sweep

  • Weeping chimney sweep boy around 1865; Painting by Antonio Rinaldi, (1816–1875)

radio play

Heidi Knetsch and Stefan Richwien adapted the material for the radio play version . Christiane Ohaus directed. It is a production by Radio Bremen, Norddeutschem Rundfunk and Bayerischer Rundfunk from 2002. The interpreters are Raiko Küster , Hildegard Krekel , Horst Mendroch, Andreas Pietschmann and Ulrich Pleitgen . In 2004 the radio play received the quarterly award of the German Record Critics' Prize .

Films / musical

  • In 1984, The Black Brothers were filmed on behalf of ARD .
  • In 1995 a 33-part animated series ( anime ) was created in Japan as part of the World Masterpiece Theater under the title Romeo no aoi sora (Japanese ロ ミ オ の 青 い 空 , Romio no aoi sora , literally: "Romeo's blue sky") directed by Kōzō Kusuba . This was also broadcast in Germany under the title The Black Brothers .
  • On March 31, 2007, the musical The Black Brothers premiered in Schaffhausen , Switzerland (composition Georgij Modestov, text Mirco Vogelsang). On July 22, 2010, an open-air version of the musical premiered on the floating stage on Lake Walen in Walenstadt .
  • In April 2011 the story was performed as a musical in Münsingen.
  • In June 2012, filming began on a remake directed by the Swiss Xavier Koller . The film is a German-Swiss joint production by enigma Film Munich and Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion, Zurich and a coproduction by Bayerischer Rundfunk, together with ARD Degeto, Arte, WDR and NDR and Ticino TV RSI. The actors include Moritz Bleibtreu , Ruby O. Fee , Richy Müller , Waldemar Kobus and Fynn Henkel . The review by Philippe Zweifel in the Zürcher Tages-Anzeiger criticized the fact that the film reminds "in its harmlessness of TV productions from the 1980s such as" Silas "or" Jack Holborn "". The film was released in 2013.
  • On August 7, 2014, the musical Die Schwarzen Brüder had its German premiere at Schloss Bückeburg , directed by Mirco Vogelsang. Maite Kelly played Mrs. Rossi. Other contributors were Thorsten Tinney, Janko Danailow, Peter Zeug and Conny Braun.

literature

  • Lisa Tetzner: The Black Brothers. Experiences and adventures of a little Ticino . Together with Kurt Kläber 1940/1941 at Sauerländer, Aarau / Switzerland (various other editions, the 20th edition from Sauerländer, Mannheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-7941-8104-9 .)
  • Lisa Tetzner: The Black Brothers - A novel in pictures , with illustrations by Hannes Binder . Sauerländer in the Patmos publishing house, Düsseldorf 2002, ISBN 978-3-7941-4900-1 .
  • Lisa Tetzner-Kläber: That was Kurt Held. Forty years of life with him . Sauerländer , Aarau 1961, DNB 455027668
  • Susanne Koppe: Kurt Kläber - Kurt Held: Bibliography of Contradictions? For the 100th birthday of the author of the “Rote Zora” . Sauerländer, Frankfurt am Main 1997 ISBN 3-7941-4330-2 (catalog for the exhibition of the same name in Zurich, Jena and Frankfurt am Main 1998).
  • Annette Sutter: Experience youth book classics, Volume 1, workbook on the Black Brothers . Verlag der Zürcher Kantonalen Mittelstufenkonferenz, Zurich 2009, ISBN 978-3-03794-142-3 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Susanne Koppe, Kurt Kläber - Kurt Held: Bibliography of Contradictions? For the 100th birthday of the author of the “Rote Zora”. Sauerländer, Frankfurt 1997. Catalog for the exhibition of the same name in Zurich, Jena and Frankfurt 1998. ISBN 3-7941-4330-2 , page 70
  2. ↑ Swiss slave boys , Tages-Anzeiger from September 30, 2013.
  3. ^ Website of the film ( Memento from February 15, 2018 in the Internet Archive )