Uwe Müller (Author)

Uwe Müller (* 1960 in Bad Neustadt an der Saale ) is a German author.

Müller initially began an apprenticeship as a roofer , but after an occupational accident in 1975 he had to orientate himself elsewhere and became an administrative employee . When his debut novel Der Turm was published by Piper in 1992, Müller was working at the Rhön-Grabfeld district office. The publisher commented on the blurb at the time:

"This first novel from the perspective of a disabled person breaks a taboo and thoroughly revises the image that 'healthy people' have of wheelchair users ."

The tower

The scene on an etching from 1835

The book not only shows references to the author's biography. The geographical conditions can also be found in reality: The tower named in the book title is the keep of the ruins of Lichtenburg near Ostheim vor der Rhön , which is over thirty meters high and is accessible to the public - not but for the two protagonists of the novel, Peter and Robert, who are paraplegic and tetraplegic , respectively . Peter originally came up with the idea of ​​climbing the 119 steps of the tower in a wheelchair. His eventful biography includes a childhood in difficult family circumstances, a stay in prison after the murder of his father, various failed relationships and, above all, repeated fights with himself. Peter projects his difficulties and problems outward, he presents himself as a fighter, winner and record breaker , but is not able to resolve interpersonal conflicts in other ways. After he and his partner Hanna, a former call girl , has divided, he plays with the idea of putting an end to his life, but manages not to shoot himself. Instead he accepts the challenge of the tower:

“Peter saw himself at a point where he couldn't turn back. Not just because of the anger that raged inside him, but because he had lost the battle against life. [...] Peter was afraid of dying, but even more afraid of embarrassing himself in front of Robert. "

"Peter, the victor, did not want to back down before the fight with death, but Robert had now taken the free decision for him."

Because Robert, his best friend, spontaneously joined when he found out about Peter's plan. While Peter is meanwhile hesitating whether he should see the action as an opportunity for a spectacular suicide or as a sporting challenge that can give him new strength, Robert initially only wants one thing: "To Rosa", who recently lost his way in a traffic accident Partner who came to life. But already on the first meters up to the tower a competition unfolds: Peter, not in top form due to alcohol abuse, does not want to allow the more impaired but better trained “Tetra” to outdo him. Robert, on the other hand, has the legitimate suspicion that Peter does not want to take him into the tower, and is also driven by his jealousy of the "luxury cross-sections":

“The Paras were always one step ahead of the Tetras with their finger dexterity. Luxury cross-sections. But not this time, gentlemen! thought Robert. They were always ahead of the Tetras. You are put in the wheelchair and can get dressed again within two weeks. Good tetras like me need at least two years to learn how to dress again. And two more years until I could stick my condom on without pissing on my pants. And how long did it take until I learned to use my dead fingers to push purgative suppositories up my ass? What my fingers have been digging everywhere? I still feel sick today, I think back to it! I might throw up at the memory! "

"But not this time, gentlemen!"

When the two men finally got into the tower, which is currently closed for maintenance work, and are struggling with the drastic difficulties that are to be expected, such competition thoughts fade into the background. Step by step they pull themselves up the stairs until after several hours, completely exhausted, with bleeding hands, soaked in rainwater and after an accident, the consequences of which will probably cost Peter an eye, they land on the viewing platform. In the meantime they have dealt with their past and their problems and have come to the conclusion:

"Yes, our struggles against steps and inaccessible paths let us see the real problems that affect everyone, hindered or not, but they don't become that important to us as we are still clinging to our steps and curbs."

"Yes, this tower also stands for our fight against society, whose deepest conviction is still that we do not fit into the clean public image."

This symbolic struggle does not end with this realization. Hardly having reached the top, Peter reveals to Robert that he does not intend to call for help and end the exertion, but that he will only consider the action to be a success when he has left the tower on his own. And Robert goes with him again, although the way back is even more difficult for him than the way up. But he, too, has grown so deep into anger and protest against exclusion and paternalism that when he falls over on this way back, he doesn't even want to use the "aid" of a wooden pillar to pull himself up again, but insists to do everything on their own.

After all, the endeavor actually succeeds. At the end of their tether, the two men sit in one of their cars and wait for the police to be summoned. They are still proud of their achievements, but it has also become clear that the undertaking can hardly have the effect in public that they temporarily hoped for: maybe climbing the tower will cause a sensation and be recognized as an extreme sporting achievement , maybe just seen as crazy and seem counterproductive with regard to the way people deal with the disabled in society. The conclusion remains open. Whether or not the two protagonists will get their problems under control in the future cannot be foreseen.

reception

Excerpts from the work were printed in school books in order to illustrate the problems of the disabled in society and to encourage a more sensitive approach to minorities. It is questionable whether, as announced, “the image that 'healthy people' have of wheelchair users will be thoroughly revised” by this work. Müller's novel, announced as a taboo-breaking novelty, is now only available as an antiquarian.

Web links

• Literature by and about Uwe Müller in the catalog of the German National Library
• Example of the use of a novel in the Ethics Book I Am Asked for Grade 9/10