Master years

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Herrenjahre is the title of a novel by Gernot Wolfgruber that was published in 1976 . In this novel, Wolfgruber describes a few years from the life of Bruno Melzer, who is doing an apprenticeship, takes a job as a carpenter, gets married, has children and becomes a widower.

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Bruno Melzer

Melzer is an apprentice carpenter at the Stollhuber company. After completing his apprenticeship, he volunteered for the armed forces because he thinks he'll get everything over with. Everything where he is just a lower one. Although he planned to, he no longer goes back to the Stollhuber, but starts with Gabmann. He believes he has more freedom of movement among the 16 workers in this company.

Melzer meets regularly with Inge, a divorced woman. His mother doesn't like her because she is older than Melzer and already has a child. But after a while he breaks up with her because he wants to enjoy his life. He wants to take control of his life.

After a while, Melzer meets Maria. She is not a particularly pretty woman, but she has a very interesting voice. Maria suspects that she is pregnant. Melzer thinks this pregnancy is intentional in order to keep him. Although he doesn't want to, he tries to persuade Maria to move in with him and later marry him. Now he feels that he has taken control of his life.

Melzer and his new girlfriend are dragged along in the company's locker room. He is embarrassed for Maria. During the break, however, he explains to his colleagues why he is with her: Her family has a lot of money. He'll buy up the booth and even the boss. (Quote: I'll make the old man a porter so that he has to say hello to me. )

Maria moves in with Melzer and even describes his mother as her mother.

Years of marriage

In mid-October there is a civil and church wedding. Although he is now married, he wants to keep his freedom. He does what he wants with his money, doesn't want to build a house and later only has debts.

Maria has a girl. Her husband is disappointed that it didn't turn out to be a boy. He wanted to teach his child something. But what could he teach a girl? Women are responsible for girls, he said. The child was like something to him that had forced its way into his life and stayed in it, even when he thought it out.

Melzer and Maria move into their own apartment because Maria is constantly arguing with Melzer's mother. You make yourself comfortable. Melzer would never have thought that he could feel so comfortable here. Here he feels satisfied and secure.

Maria becomes pregnant again and has another girl.

Melzer's new job

Melzer goes on sick leave due to an accident at work. He has to see the medical officer because the inspector caught him working in the new apartment. There he meets a former school colleague of his brother who is also a carpenter. He works in a huge factory, where he earns a third more than Melzer thanks to the piecework bonus. Melzer becomes curious. He thinks that his life will change radically if he earns more. With more money his life only really begins. Melzer applies to this company and is promptly accepted. Now all worries for him will be over.

A third child is born, Maria falls seriously ill

Melzer has to go to the hospital in Vienna every week with Maria because she has growths on her larynx (hence the rough voice). The doctor strongly advises removing or irradiating the larynx. You decide to have the irradiation because removal can still be done. However, a few weeks later she still has to be operated on. The larynx is removed, Maria is fine, but she can no longer speak and has a breathing hole in her throat.

Melzer's mother dies. His grandmother, who lived in his mother's house, moves to Vienna to live with her daughter, Melzer and his family move back to their mother's house. But they are not satisfied with their mother's little house and so they start building their own.

Maria becomes pregnant for the third time. But she doesn't want to have the child because she still feels way too weak. You agree to have an abortion, but a doctor's confirmation is required. An acquaintance suggested that the doctor who removed Maria's larynx could confirm that she was too weak for another pregnancy and childbirth. In this way, abortion could be legal. Maria can be examined. The doctor said that the removal of the larynx did not affect the child's development. He could not advocate an abortion, Maria has to carry the child to term. In May a healthy boy will finally be born. Maria doesn't really recover after the birth of the child. She suffers from constant coughing, fever and her windpipe is seething.

Mary's death and end

After Maria has had herself examined by the pulmonologist, Melzer calls in to the ordination and informs him that Maria has cancer, she only has three months to live and will most likely not live to see Easter again.

One night Maria shakes him awake and he sees her staring at him with wide eyes. A diaper that is wrapped around your neck is all red with blood. The doctor comes and advises that Maria be taken to the hospital. Finally she decides to go to the hospital in the hope of getting better. But before she comes to the hospital, Maria dies.

Melzer is desperate. What should happen to the children now? Who should run the household? He no longer knows what to do. There is no parental leave for men and under no circumstances would he put his children in a home. Melzer sees care as a last resort and asks for advice there. He does this very reluctantly, however, because he is of the opinion that only social parasites can be found there; everyone else would take care of it themselves and after all he was not a welfare case. When he has no other choice, however, he decides to go. In the waiting room he gets the impression that the people waiting are anything but social parasites, but maybe he's wrong.

When he is called, the counselor says he has to look for someone to run the household and look after the children. The care would cover half the cost. He is assured that he will get a trained domestic help in two weeks. However, this assurance is not fulfilled. Then, even more reluctantly, since he doesn't believe in the church, he goes to Caritas to ask for help there. The pastor can provide him with a temporary worker, but only for two weeks, because the other needy people in the community should also have something from her.

filming

The book was filmed in 1983 by Axel Corti with Hermine Czillinger , Lore Krainer , Josefin Platt , Johannes Silberschneider and Peter Simonischek .

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