Nicky (Keyserling)
Nicky is a short story by Eduard von Keyserling that appeared in 1918 in "Fischer's Library of Contemporary Novels" in Berlin. The text had already been printed in 1915 in S. Fischer's “ Neuer Rundschau ”.
action
Nicky has been "happily married" to Baron Oskar von Reichel for five years. Oskar works part-time in the ministry. Baroness Nicky von Reichel was actually very lucky. Her husband, who was always understanding, had raised her to his circles from small, close relationships. Even so, Nicky is still waiting for something, just as she waited for marriage as a girl. Nicky would like a child. The mother-in-law comforts that Nicky has Oscar.
The husband accompanies his young wife to a small farmhouse in a mountain village and leaves again. The Ministry is calling. There in the summer, Nicky meets what she has been waiting for so long. Between her and the famous piano virtuoso Enrico Fanoni from Brazil, a love is slowly but inexorably developing that culminates in a kiss on the mouth. When the First World War broke out, Oskar took to the field. Nicky separates from Enrico and wants to stick to Oskar as a "soldier's wife".
Quote
- "The language is there so that people misunderstand each other."
Form and interpretation
Von Keyserling expresses his rejection of the “bloody madness” of war in a very reserved, indirect way and unmistakably. For example, he has an ancient peasant woman say: “... the men are all gone; they won't come back. At that time they didn't come back either. ”The small text paints a credible picture of the German enthusiasm for war in the late summer of 1914, and uses repetition as a stylistic device to link this clearly and visibly with the subliminal fear of death of all those affected.
reception
In his brief synopsis, Sprengel only makes a fine mockery of the text - for example, following the motto: Young soldier's wife returns to the home front.
Used edition
- Nicky. P. 71–120 in: Eduard von Keyserling: In the quiet angle . Nicky. Two stories. Fischer Taschenbuch, Frankfurt am Main 1983, ISBN 3-596-25354-3
literature
- Peter Sprengel : History of German-Language Literature 1900–1918. Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-52178-9
- Gero von Wilpert : Lexicon of world literature. German authors A – Z. Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-520-83704-8 , p. 331, right column, 11. Zvo