Iskender (Schulz)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Iskender is a novel by the German writer Hermann Schulz and was published by Carlsen-Verlag in 1999 .

content

Part 1 - Alexander

In March 1968 a seven-year-old boy disappears from a German children's home. Despite intensive research, there is no trace of him. Alexander, that's the boy's name, has obviously been kidnapped. His two kidnappers drive with him to Turkey . One of the men, Asaf Karpat, sees himself as the boy's father, as it turns out later. Asaf Karpat and his friend Rasih Peker bring the boy to Yeniköy , his home village near the southern Turkish city of Antalya .

Asaf is the only son of the couple Rauf and Ayşe Karpat. The Karpat family owns a small farm in Yeniköy where sheep and goats are raised. The young Asaf is driven by a thirst for adventure and wanderlust from Yeniköy to Germany. There he finds work in the steel industry. In Duisburg he got to know the attractive Agnes, who works as a barmaid in a pub. Asaf falls in love with Agnes. But Asaf soon notices that Agnes also had intimate relationships with other men. Asaf ends the relationship in anger. He changes his place of residence and work so that he no longer has to see Agnes. The young Turk returns to his homeland some time later. He doesn't tell his parents about his love in Duisburg. As soon as Asaf has completed his military service, he learns from his friend Rasih, who is still living in Germany, that Agnes has become a mother. The boy's father is probably he, Asaf. After his army service ends, Asaf travels to Germany to look for Agnes and the child. He finds out that Agnes has died in an accident and that Alexander, the boy's name, is housed in a children's home. Asaf locates the home. He is convinced of his fatherhood from the first moment of the meeting. He now visits Alexander very often and develops a good relationship with the boy who is suffering from autism . Asaf plans to take Alexander with him to Turkey, to Yenköy with his parents. But the children's home doctor gives Asaf no hope in this regard. Even if Asaf could provide proof of his paternity , there would hardly be any permission from state authorities to leave the country. He should stay in a German home because the medical and educational possibilities for a cure in Turkey are not available. Asaf sees no other chance but to kidnap Alexander to Turkey, and his friend Rasih helps him with that.

In Yeniköy, Asaf hands the boy over to his parents' care. In order to divert the suspicion of kidnapping from himself, he immediately returns to Germany, lives and works there as if nothing had happened. The boy has a hard time making a new start in Yeniköy. For a long time Alexander does not speak a word to his grandparents Ayşe and Rauf. He gives himself closed and withdrawn. But the two old people take care of him lovingly and sensitively. Over time, Alexander gains self-confidence and changes his whole being to a bright, life-affirming boy. In addition to the grandparents, the foreman Ali, who takes Alexander with him on extensive cattle drifts in the southern Anatolian landscapes, played a major role in this development .

One day grandfather Rauf Karpat receives a letter from the German embassy in Ankara . The embassy explains that Alexander, as a German citizen, is wrongly living in Turkey and must be returned to his home in Germany. In the near future, an employee of the embassy will appear on site and speak to the Carpathians on the matter of “Alexander”.

Part 2 - Leyla and Paul

The talented but penniless musician Paul is professionally at a dead end. One day he meets Fahriunusa, an elderly Turkish diplomatic woman with a fortune who is staying in Germany on a spa stay. She takes a liking to the young musician, whose talent she has recognized, and invites him to Ankara . In the Turkish capital, Paul is quartered in Fahriunusa's villa. There he met Fahriunusa's granddaughter Leyla, who works for the German embassy. Leyla and Paul quickly find each other likeable and feel more and more drawn to each other. To his surprise, Paul von Fahriunusa received the offer to give a concert in the German embassy. Hesitantly and happily at the same time, he accepts. Leyla, in turn, receives an order from her employer to drive to Yeniköy and pick up a German boy named Alexander there. Paul accompanies them on this journey. On the drive to Yenikoy, Leyla and Paul get closer and they fall in love.

Part 3 - The concert

The letter from the embassy left the Carpathians in deep sadness and despair. They love their grandson Alexander-Iskender very much and don't want to give him away for anything in the world. But they also know that there will hardly be any other option. Out of a deep trust in God, the Carpathians draw courage again. Rauf sends a letter to his son Asaf informing him about the intention of the German embassy. Leyla and Paul are warmly received by the Carpathians in Yeniköy. Following her order, Leyla takes Alexander with her. On the trip to Ankara, Leyla and Paul do not fail to see how much the boy suffers from the separation from his grandparents. You can see that this “ İskender ” has nothing in common with the Alexander described in the German official documents. It is obvious that life in Yeniköy Alexander-Iskender is much better than that in the home. Leyla decides to go against her mandate, and therefore she brings Alexander back to his grandparents in Yenikoy without further ado.

In Ankara, Paul gives a concert at the embassy that is a great success. After the performance, the ambassador asks Leyla for a one-to-one conversation. Leyla wrote in her report on the "Alexander" return campaign that there was no boy with this name in Yeniköy. Although the ambassador indirectly expresses doubts about their portrayal, he leaves the matter behind because he has obviously recognized Leyla's humane intent. Ultimately, father Asaf and son Alexander find each other. Leyla helps in obtaining the necessary papers for the recognition of paternity, although the answer to the question of whether Asaf is really the father remains open. It becomes clear that Asaf is legitimized as a social father. Asaf and Alexander travel to Yeniköy and start a new life. Paul and Leyla's future as a couple is only hinted at.

The novel is based on real facts. During a visit to Turkey, the author learned of the fate of the boy whom he named Alexander-Iskender in the novel. In real life, "Alexander" had to return to Germany.

Reviews

"With so much warmth of the heart and, especially with the admirable strong women in history, with so much cleverness, you can probably achieve a piece of real life."

- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

literature