Professor Martens' departure

Professor Martens' Departure ( Estonian Professor Martensi ärasõit ) is the title of a historical novel by the Estonian writer Jaan Kross (1920–2007).

novel

The novel was first published in three numbers in the Estonian literary magazine Looming (10/1983 to 12/1983), then by the state publisher Eesti Raamat (1984, 245 pages). After the novel Keisri Hull (1978), the book is probably the author's best known and most widely distributed.

action

Similar to the novel Tabamatus (in German "Unreachability"), Kross treats two people, in this case even two authentic historical figures with the same name who have astonishing parallels in their biographies: Georg Friedrich Martens (1756–1821) and Friedrich Fromhold Martens (1845– 1909); Both were experts in international law , the first in Germany under Napoleon's rule, the second as a native Estonian in Russian service.

As in almost all of his novels, Kross' main character is, as expected, the Estonian, who is professor of international law in Petersburg and who represents the interests of the tsarist empire in the higher diplomatic service . Most recently he did it, albeit in the background, since he was not officially a member of the delegation, during the peace negotiations after the Russo-Japanese War , which took place in Portsmouth in the United States in 1905 in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard .

On a train journey in 1909 from Pärnu to Saint Petersburg - this is the main storyline of the novel - the scholar recalls his life. While there are economical trips to the contemporary (cultural) history, such as the memory of his nephew John revolutionary or the encounter with the Estonian intellectuals Hella Murrik which is on the way to study in Helsinki and later as a Finnish writer Hella Wuolijoki career made.

Most of the time, Martens thinks of himself and his past. Interwoven in these reminiscences are numerous, sometimes longer passages about his famous namesake, who has haunted his head for a long time and who in one way or another was inspiring and formative. He was a direct, if unconscious, role model for him in places, and he himself occasionally felt almost like a reincarnation of German Martens from Napoleon's time. This legal scholar lived in Göttingen and Hesse , among others, and has also achieved his laurels in the university as well as in the diplomatic field.

On the train journey, Martens has enough time to recall the many falsehoods and dishonesties that he has committed all his life. There were infidelities, there were half measures, there was opportunism in the interests of a career. Martens now resolves to clear the table and tell his wife, to whom he is currently en route, everything honestly and, for the first time, completely openly. He doesn't want any more glossing over, white lies or excuses, he wants to present her with the naked truth. He implements this praiseworthy project - fragmentarily, hesitantly, but with increasing duration - with himself and with the readership, but no longer with his wife, because he dies before things can come to that at a halt in Valga .

interpretation

This psychological novel is primarily about loyalty, adaptation and willingness to compromise on the one hand and rebellion and self-assertion on the other. How far must, can, should or may one put one's scientific expertise in the service of politics? What use is it to blaspheme the tsars and princes behind your back if you are just a compliant cog in their system? In this novel it becomes clear that the problem is not an exotic Estonian or Tsarist empire, because the namesake from the previous century has it no different, he gets into the same conscience and difficulties under the Napoleonic regime. The novel "is about the precarious art of survival in difficult times."

In addition, Estonian is in the foreground, which is a pivotal point in Jaan Kross' work, although the author in this novel also points to the universality of some problems. Because for both Martens' the question of self-assertion in a system characterized by external constraints is of existential importance, and both ultimately fail in their attempt to clean the table with themselves and their immediate surroundings: the guilt they have for decades of dishonesty can no longer be paid in the end.

Seen in this way, there is a certain tragedy inherent in the undertaking. Because the price you have to pay for decades of insincerity is so high that you can no longer pay it. The departure into openness, into honesty, into sincerity, marked by the premonition of death and fear of death, is doomed to failure and inevitably ends again with a half measure, with half a victory or with a half achieved goal. Martens has succeeded in being open towards himself, but it no longer comes to the same thing towards his wife. Seen in this way, the book is even a reminder to think about it in good time.

Famous quotes

The German Martens thinks about how he should behave the next day, when the future of Europe is being discussed at the negotiating table: “It doesn't matter, in the end. Because what can I do? Nothing but to be innocent . "(The text in italics is also in German in the Estonian original)

During the peace negotiations, American journalists asked Estonian Martens about his assessment of the situation: “But you as a Russian - oh, you are not a Russian at all? So you as a German, aren't you ... you are not a German? Then what are you? How? Eskimo? No? Estonian What are these for which? "

Translations

• 1986: Finnish - Professori Martensin lähtö (translated by Juhani Salokannel). Helsinki: WSOY.
• 1986: Swedish - Professor Martens avresa (translated by Ivo Iliste, Birgitta Göranson). Bromma: Fripress Bokförlag.
• 1989: Russian - Уход профессора Мартенса (translation by Olga Samma). Moskva: Sov. Pissatel.
• 1989: Hungarian - Martens professzor elutazása (translated by Gábor Bereczki). Budapest: Európa.
• 1990: French - Le départ du professeur Martens (translated by Jean-Luc Moreau). Paris: Laffont.
• 1992: German - Professor Martens' departure (translated by Helga Viira ). Munich, Vienna: Hanser .
• 1993: Dutch - Het vertrek van professor Martens (translated by Marianne Vogel and Cornelius Hasselblatt ). Amsterdam: Prometheus.
• 1994: English - Professor Martens' departure (translated by Anselm Hollo). London: Harvill.
• 1994: Norwegian - Professor Martens Avreise (translated by Turid Farbregd). Oslo: Gyldendal.
• 1995: Spanish - La partida del profesor Martens (translated by Joaquín Jordá). Barcelona: Anagrama.
• 1996: Modern Greek - Anahorisi tou kathigiti Martens (translated by Marianna Tyrea-Hristodoulidou). Athinai: SI Zaharopoulos.
• 2000: Japanese - マ ル テ ン ス 教授 の 旅 立 ち ( Marutensu-kyōju no tabidachi ) (translated by Yukio Fujino). Tokyo: Bensei Shuppan.
• 2011: Latvian - Profesora Martensa aizbraukšana (translated by Maima Grinberga). Rīga: Atēna.

literature

• Roman Bucheli: The Last Journey of Professor Martens . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung , No. 177 of August 4, 1992, p. 11 (remote edition).
• Fritz Göttler : The paralyzing unlimitedness of storytelling . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , No. 127 of June 3, 1992, p. 12.
• Cornelius Hasselblatt : Estonian literature in the German language 1784–2003. Bibliography of primary and secondary literature . Hempen Verlag, Bremen 2004, pp. 70-71, ISBN 3-934106-43-9 .
• Cornelius Hasselblatt: Estonian literature in German translation. A reception story from the 19th to the 21st century . Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, pp. 320–322, ISBN 978-3-447-06586-3 .
• Doris Lessing : A World Ruled by Princes . In: The Independent, February 19, 1994, p. 22.
• Wolfgang Matz : But he was silent where he had to speak. On opportunism: "Professor Martens' departure" . In: Frankfurter Rundschau of June 6, 1992.
• Lea Pild: Ärasõit kui vabanemine. Eesti teema ja Tolstoi traditsioon Jaan Krossi romaanis “Professor Martensi ärasõit” . In: Keel ja Kirjandus , 6/2011, pp. 416-424, ISSN  0131-1441
• Juhani Salokannel: Sivistystahto. Jaan Kross, we have teoksensa yes virolaisuus . Söderström, Helsinki 2008, pp. 300-316, ISBN 978-951-0-33540-6 .
• Thomas Schmid: Unfavorable times . In: Die Zeit , No. 16 of April 10, 1992, literature supplement, p. 14.
• Kerttu Wagner: The historical novels by Jaan Kross. Using the example of a study of the German and English translations by “Professor Martensi ärasõit” (1984) (European University Papers / Series XVIII: Comparative Literature, Vol. 97). Peter Lang Frankfurt / M. 2001, 290 pp. ISBN 3-631-37462-3 (also dissertation, University of Göttingen 2000).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Thomas Schmid: Unfavorable times. Jaan Kross 'novel "Professor Martens' Departure" . In: Die Zeit No. 16, April 10, 1992, literature supplement, p. 14.
2. ^ Jaan Kross: Professor Martensi ärasõit. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1984, p. 182
3. ^ Jaan Kross: Professor Martensi ärasõit. Tallinn: Eesti Raamat 1984, p. 202