Hit the world with your fist

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Beating the world with your fist is a novel by the author Lukas Rietzschel . It is about the life of two brothers who grow up in an East Saxon village that the author calls "Neschwitz". The radicalization of young people is discussed. The book was published by Ullstein Verlag in September 2018 .

author

The author Lukas Rietzschel was born in Räckelwitz in 1994 . He grew up in simple circumstances in Kamenz . His mother was a nurse, his father a tiler. He studied political science and German language and literature in Kassel , which is an entry requirement there even without a high school diploma. After leaving Kassel, Rietzschel studied cultural management at the Zittau / Görlitz University of Applied Sciences . Today Lukas Rietzschel lives and works in Görlitz. He only discovered his passion for reading and writing at the age of 16.

The idea for his novel To beat the world with his fist came to him in the course of the events of the refugee crisis in 2014/15 and the increasing xenophobia that went with it . Lukas Rietzschel was living in Kassel at the time, and, as he himself says, he got it from the uneducated milieu, i. H. Out of his socialization as a typical working class child without a book collection at home. He saw how old school friends in his home country, in East Saxony, were becoming increasingly xenophobic in the media and in the real world. With his debut novel he wants to "somehow explain what happened and what happened". Even if the book contains several parallels to Lukas Rietzschel's own life, it still contains (like every epic text) no “image” of life in East Saxony, but Rietzschel lets his own experiences and fictions flow together into a story.

Literary era

The novel to hit the world with his fist is a work of contemporary German literature . The novel can be specified in terms of post- reunification or post-GDR literature . All events in the book are based on the consequences of the turning point, even if the novel does not deal with the process of turning itself. All events take place in East Germany or the former GDR . Lukas Rietzschel often refers to the events of the GDR and transformation times, whereby the turn itself serves as a turning point, on which the measurement of time in the novel is based. This becomes clear on the first page of the novel when the narrator says: “Then the move came […], and now, five years later, my own house. Eleven years after the fall of the Wall ”(p. 9).

Contemporary history background

The book takes place from 2000 to 2015 in Upper Lusatia , in the triangle between Kamenz , Bautzen and Hoyerswerda . Against the background of the consequences of the collapse of the GDR and the upheavals of the time of transformation , the anger of the growing main characters Tobias and Philipp is discharged at the respective current political events. So the two rant about the financial rescue of Greece and try on various levels to stop the wave of refugees of 2015 . B. beat up foreigners at the local witchfire and take part in a Pegida demonstration in Dresden . Even in her childhood, reference was made to various global political events, for example when the terrorist attacks of September 11th were reported on TV or a radio announcer informed about the Iraq war . But the racist riots in the nearby Hoyerswerda in 1991 and attacks on Sorbs are also repeatedly discussed. Through all of this, Lukas Rietzschel makes the book's topicality clear; he puts the narrated plot in the context of events in Germany and around the world.

Table of contents

The fictional brothers Tobias and Philipp Zschornack, who grow up in Neschwitz, a village in Eastern Saxony, as the sons of a nurse and an electrician, are at the center of what is happening in the novel. The two siblings experienced the social advancement of the family in their childhood when they moved from the GDR prefabricated building to the newly built single-family house. At the same time, one's own house promises promotion to the middle class. But family happiness does not last; In their youth, Philipp and Tobias suffer the failure of their parents' marriage, which ultimately leads to the abandonment of their own home and the return of their mother to the previously abandoned Neschwitzer prefabricated building. Philipp and Tobias also suffer very much from the death of their beloved grandfather and they increasingly notice the desolation of their homeland, which is marked by decay and unemployment. Nobody seems to be able to support the two adolescents and answer their questions about the past and present. Because they are surrounded by adults who are too preoccupied with their own problems. Against the background of this disorientation and loneliness, also due to the acute shortage of young women in the village, Philipp and later Tobias turned to the neo-Nazi Menzel and his friends. Both brothers are involved in racist attacks by neo-Nazis. Philipp is involved in an attack on a family with an adopted daughter of Turkish origin and Tobias triggers a fight over a witch's fire. Unlike Philipp, who is gradually withdrawing from the neo-Nazi scene, Tobias feels more and more drawn to the scene around Menzel. He gets deeper and deeper into problems, takes over the Nazi ideology and is convinced that his homeland must be protected from foreigners. When the first Pegida demonstrations begin in Dresden and Neschwitz is also supposed to take in refugees, things escalate. The novel ends with an attack on the two brothers' old elementary school, the school being flooded and then set on fire.

Central themes and motifs

Rietzschel's novel deals with hope and a new beginning as well as with difficult family structures and the decline in social skills such as communication, helpfulness and solidarity. The central themes of the book are the increase in right-wing extremism, especially in Saxony, and the increase in the problems of the population in structurally weak regions. The novel shows the development from hope to a lack of prospects and violence.

The central motifs of the novel can already be found in the first chapters. One example of this is the closed fireclay factory near the family's home, which symbolizes the disintegration of the entire region. In contrast, the single-family house stands as a symbol of the family's social advancement, as they interpret the move from the old GDR prefabricated building. This ascent ends abruptly in the course of the book after the parents' marriage broke up, among other things because the father starts an affair with his childhood sweetheart Kathrin. The house of the Zschornack family is also symbolic of the development of East Germany after the fall of the Wall, since house building begins with euphoria and hope for a better future, but is made more difficult by problems and since the homeowners' hope of social advancement is ultimately destroyed. Another important motif is the fist as a symbol for the potential for violence that is always present, which prevails in Neschwitz and especially in the area around Tobias and Philipp. The anger and aggression of the main characters lead, for example, to the fight at the witch fire and the flooding of the future refugee home. In addition, other important motives are alcohol as a result of hopelessness, constant television as a medium of contact with the outside world, the lack of suitable partners after the departure of many "nerdy girls" and the volcano to illustrate the seething within society and the possibility of a sudden outbreak of anger and Indignation.

characters

Philip

At the beginning of the novel, Philip is eight years old (p. 11) and by the end he is 23. He has a slim, fragile stature that does not change during the course of the novel. At the beginning of the book he lives with his little brother Tobias (Tobi) and his parents in a newly built family house. In the course of the action he graduates from secondary school and then works as a mechatronics technician (p. 260). He later moves into his own apartment (p. 240).

A central character trait of Philipp is his desire to belong, also to the group around Menzel (p. 195). In order to belong, he is involved in actions that he does not really approve of (p. 224). Only in the process of growing up does he succeed in shedding the need to belong at any cost (p. 288). He moves away from the group and can no longer be influenced by it.

Another explanation for the growing distance between Philip and Menzel's group is his phlegm . Menzel criticizes that Philipp never brings his own ideas into the group activities, but is a mere "follower". Menzel's anger is drawn to Philipp by the fact that he did not take part in the federal election in 2013 and thus did not participate in the replacement of Angela Merkel as Chancellor. A lack of drive and ambition also lead Philipp to be satisfied with his work as a mechatronics engineer and to stay in Neschwitz.

It is noticeable that Philip cannot maintain close relationships with others during the course of the novel. The connection to his school friends Christoph and Axel is getting weaker and weaker. He has a girlfriend for a short time, named Theresa, from whom he soon separates (p. 260). Relations with his family are also bad. He lost contact with his father after he separated from his mother, and he broke away from his mother and younger brother Tobi by moving into his own apartment. In the end it remains to be seen whether Philip will completely split off from his family or whether he will end up striving for a better relationship with his mother and brother (p. 317).

Philip's character is altogether contradictory and complex. On the one hand he is very anxious and insecure (p. 289), but on the other hand he appears challenging and provocative - especially (but not only) towards his little brother (p. 162).

Tobi (as)

At the beginning of the novel, Philip's younger brother Tobi (as) is five years old and at the end it is 20 years old (p. 11). In contrast to its older brother, its external appearance changes significantly. He is developing from a slim, little boy into a tall and well-built young man. Despite his young adulthood by the end of the novel, he already has wrinkles from excessive alcohol consumption (p. 288). In the course of the novel, Tobias graduated from secondary school and worked in a flag factory in Kamenz.

Tobi is initially the quieter and more reserved of the two brothers (p. 26), who observes his surroundings closely and thus acquires a good understanding of human nature (p. 77). But Tobi, too, has repeatedly shown aggressive behavior from childhood that he can hardly curb (p. 100). With increasing age he becomes more and more aggressive and self-confident (p. 284). He no longer wants to be nicknamed 'Tobi', but instead insists on 'Tobias' (p. 238), and he no longer lets anyone tell him (p. 273).

Unlike his older brother, Tobias forms stronger bonds with other people. His relationship with his maternal grandparents is so close that he claims during his school days that he grew up with them. He misses his grandfather badly after his death and tries to keep his memory of him, and he regularly helps his grandmother with her shopping. While Tobi's relationship with his father cools after he has moved out, he feels obliged to his mother. He sees how much she suffers from being separated from her father and stays with her so that she is not alone and left to herself (p. 272). Tobi also helps his school friend Felix, who is dependent on crystal meth, even after he has long been afraid of him. In contrast to Philipp, Tobi befriends the neo-Nazi Menzel so well that he tells him about his fears and anger (pp. 292–294). Tobi has a mixed relationship with Philipp himself. On the one hand, he admires and emulates his big brother, on the other hand, he sees himself - not untypical for siblings - in competition with him and is envious. Since many of Tobi's caregivers are eliminated through death, personal suffering, illness and departure, he is ultimately a very lonely person.

In contrast to Philipp, Tobias Menzel not only joins because he wants to belong to a group, but he expects him to provide guidance. After his deceased grandfather and his parents, who were immersed in separation disputes, failed to provide guidance, he internalized Menzel's Nazi ideology and came to the conviction that at Menzel's side he had to take responsibility for his region and for Germany by fighting against foreign infiltration and rapidly advancing social change occurs. Although Tobias said in private to Menzel shortly before the end of the novel: "We need a real war again.", He doubts the correctness of violence and destruction as a means to an end and hopes that his big brother will give him his close ties to Menzel's circle.

Menzel

Uwe Menzel is significantly older than Philipp and Tobias. At the end of the book he is almost thirty years old (p. 191). Menzel is half-sorbet (p. 196) and, like the two main characters, probably belongs to the working class. While one does not learn anything more about Menzel's parents and the grandparents are only mentioned in passing, Menzel's uncle Uwe Deibritz is more important. He helps the Zschornack family build a house. Unmasked as a former Stasi informant, he is abandoned by his wife, falls into alcoholism, loses his job and ultimately kills himself. Menzel's family is socially ostracized because of Uwe Deibritz's Stasi past.

Menzel has strikingly white, pale skin with greenish shimmering veins on his temples. He is bald (p. 191) and staring sunken eyes (p. 192). Menzel's clothes are black and simple, and he often wears black gloves so as not to leave any marks (p. 220).

Menzel is a person who "could be mute and sad from one moment to the next and then again hateful and ecstatic" (p. 293). He tries to get other people to do something (p. 293) and to oppose the social tendencies he has observed. Despite his own Sorbian roots, he is clearly against foreigners and minorities (p. 196), and he criticizes the Merkel government (p. 240). He takes on the role of leader within his group by intimidating the others (p. 228). Only with Ramon and - later - Tobias does he develop a closer relationship.

The figure of Menzel is drawn in a less complex manner than that of Philipp and Tobias. Menzel appears as a man marked by contradictions. The novel contains no references to specific networks in which Menzel is presumably involved.

teller

In punching the world with his fist there is a personal narrative form (he / she narrator). The narrator switches between different characters over and over again in the course of the book. The focus is on illuminating the thoughts of Philipp and Tobias. This change of the inner perspective is made possible by an omniscient ( authorial ) narrative perspective . Nevertheless, the narrator only partially helps perplexed readers to understand what is being told.

For example, in the 8th chapter of the first book, the narrator describes the preparations for the witch's fire by fire fighters, which Tobi can observe through the window of his hoard: “In spring, at the beginning of April, they collected branches and dead tree trunks from the surrounding forests and layered them a big pile. All around the villages, other firefighters were doing the same. Then in the evening they sat around the pile of wood in folding chairs and watched over it. Against the other villages, against the ticks and sorbs. This permanent coexistence. The competition, the fight. "

It is unclear at this point whose point of view is being presented here. Tobi can see what is described in the first sentence, probably for the first time. Therefore he cannot know what is described in the second sentence. It remains unclear who thinks dissidents are “ticks” ( all firefighters?). The last three sentences do not correspond to the level of reflection of an elementary school student. It is also unclear whether the last two sentences, which are supposed to express an attitude towards life, are uttered with approval or with critical intent. If the latter were to be the case, then there would certainly be attempts to criticize the existing conditions by the narrator.

Composition and linguistic design

The novel Striking into the world with your fist is divided into three parts, so-called "books". In each book the focus is on a different central topic. The first book focuses on the childhood of the two protagonists , while Philip's turn to Menzel's neo-Nazi scene is the subject of the second book and the third book focuses on Tobias' radicalization. The events are told episodically in chronological order. Through this fragmentary style and through time leaps of different lengths (e.g. there is a time leap of 7 years between books 2 and 3), the novel calls on its readers to actively participate in the creation of meaning and to provide their own explanations for Philip and Tobias' radical behavior. On a formal level, the text indicates in this way that it neither wants to nor can explain the racist and violent acts of the protagonists, let alone excuse them. He also points out that there cannot be a coherent explanation for such personal development.

The novel is told in a kind of restricted code that some linguists rate as typical for members of the “educationally deprived classes” (“'Good idea, if that works.' 'It was mine too,' said Robert. 'Shut up, Freak! 'Menzel pinched his stomach ”(p. 220). The narrator does not clearly distinguish himself linguistically from the character speech, but stands on the same level as the characters, whose perspective he partially takes over completely. The syntax is often kept short, with isolated ellipses , and the choice of words is very simple ("Your two sons on it. Tobi and Philipp. Colorful jackets smeared with dirt." (P. 9)). Nevertheless, this staccato-like style creates precise images, which makes it easy to imagine the situations and locations of the events ("Cars on the roadside. Passers-by stopped and picked cornflowers. At the beginning of June it smelled of strawberries when you drove past the field near Panschwitz . [...] Now the corn was halfway up and light green up to the roadway. ”(P. 147)). Rhetorical stylistic devices are only used sparingly. There are some metaphors and symbols to be found (see central motifs) that indirectly refer to events and stimulate reflection.

Reviews

The press response to the novel was mostly positive; however, there were also negative reviews, e.g. B. criticize the linguistic design.

  • "Very well observed and beautifully and poetically precisely written" - Der Spiegel, Volker Weidermann , September 8, 2018
  • "With a sensual, fine-pored language, Rietzschel traces the growth of anger and indignation, especially in the gestures of the two young people" - FAZ, Thomas Thiel, November 24, 2018
  • "Like a bad, nightmarish thriller" - Münchner Merkur, Ulrike Frick, October 28, 2018
  • "What sounds like a tough contemporary novel is a quiet, almost tender story about two young, lonely people." - Brigitte, September 26, 2018
  • "The Eastern novel of the moment" - FAZ, September 9, 2018
  • "I think it's the ultimate novel about the East of the 2000s." - MDR Kultur, Matthias Schmidt, September 10, 2018

Prizes and awards

  • 2016: Retzhof Prize for Young Literature
  • 2016: Nomination for poet | moves
  • 2017: Nomination for the Würth Literature Prize
  • 2018: Nomination for the aspekte literature prize
  • 2019: Gellert Prize

Stage version

State Theater Dresden

  • Director: Liesbeth Coltof
  • Tobias: Tillmann Eckardt
  • Philipp: Daniel Séjourné
  • Father / Ramon: Ingo Tomi
  • Mother / Director: Betty Freudenberg
  • Uwe / Christoph / Marco's father: Sven Hönig
  • Kathrin / Menzel: Ursula Hobmair
  • Marco / Robert: Francis Claus

Lukas Rietzschel wrote a stage version for the Staatsschauspielhaus Dresden , which was premiered on September 13, 2019 in the Kleiner Haus Dresden under the direction of Liesbeth Coltof .

The siblings Philipp and Tobias are played by Daniel Séjourné and Tilmann Eckardt. The other actors take on the roles of several characters. By reducing the complexity of the characters and the storyline as a whole, the piece is 2 hours and 25 minutes long. Tobias' three friends from the book are summarized in Marco (Franziskus Claus), for example, and Ursula Hobmeier takes on the roles of Kathrin and Menzel. The fact that Menzel is a woman in the Dresden production represents a remarkable deviation from the novel, as it adds an erotic-sexual component to the brothers' motifs.

"Fast-paced, emotionally charged and provocative, Liesbeth Coltof sends a strong signal." Sächsische Zeitung, Sebastian Thiele, September 16, 2019

“A great, but also disturbing theater experience.” MDR Kultur, Matthias Schmidt, September 14, 2019

“The inner workings of the clique are grippingly portrayed. Arson attacks, beating, the provocation with pig carcasses in front of a refugee house offer hearty theater. ”Taz, Michael Bartsch, September 17, 2019

Further performances

The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus premiered Beating the World with a Fist under the direction of Martin Grünheit on September 26, 2019. At Theater Heilbronn , the piece in the version of Thomas Martin was under the direction of Axel Vornam 2020 premiere on 18 January. The Schaufenster in Halle will premiere the piece under the direction of Sven Lasse Awe on April 2, 2020.

expenditure

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Favorite bookstore: Lukas Rietzschel on the Comenius bookstore in Görlitz / Like at Christmas. Retrieved February 4, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Felix Bayer: Saxon author Lukas Rietzschel "You can talk to the East about the East" . Spiegel Online . September 16, 2018, accessed February 16, 2020
  3. ↑ Philipp Ettel: Book tip: "Hit the world with your fist" . sputnik.de. September 6, 2018, accessed February 16, 2020
  4. ↑ a b c d Lukas Rietzschel in an interview about "Hit the world with your fist". Ullstein Buchverlage, accessed on February 4, 2020 (German).
  5. ↑ Sonja Kersten: "Fall of the Wall, Post-GDR, Unification, Post-Reunification or at least Wendel literature? A small expedition through a large jungle of concepts". In: literaturkritik.de. Thomas Anz and Sascha Seiler, November 21, 2016, accessed on November 13, 2019 (German).
  6. ↑ In his article “We post-reunification artists”, Lukas Rietzschel wrote on November 7, 2019 for “ Die Zeit ”: “The East is different. To see how parents and acquaintances became unemployed, how they tried to assert themselves in the new system, dreaming, sometimes failing, made me show solidarity. If there wasn't one thing in the East, it was continuity. Whether sympathizer, opponent or follower, everyone experienced the break. Hardly anyone has managed to hold onto their seat, not the big and the little ones. I can't blame these people for anything. I can certainly not follow suit. "( [1] )