Four ways to bury my father
Four ways to bury my father is the third novel by the writer Liane Dirks . Like Dirks' autobiographical debut novel Die liebe Angst, the book deals with sexual violence against children . The first edition was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 2002 .
content
The book describes the life story of Günther Dirks. The description of his childhood and youth between a pampering but egocentric mother, a strict and sometimes sadistic father and a nanny who introduces him to the world of myths and exoticism of her Caribbean homeland offers a credible background for the cross-border and violent actions of Günther Dirks later family. The description is always empathetic with the protagonist, who offers himself to the reader as a figure of identification. The social background against which Günther Dirks grew up is the Hamburg of the twenties and thirties of the 20th century between swing , nudism and expressive dance on the one hand and northern German discipline , male rituals and merchant honor on the other. As a teenager, Günther Dirks learned the profession of cook , which in the novel stands for uninhibited sensual pleasures and excessive indulgence. The career as a master chef was interrupted by the Second World War. Günther Dirks is shown in this part of the book as a grouchy, weak-willed and opportunistic young man. After the war, he first had to earn money, newly married. He does not feel that working in a snack bar is worthy of him. Finally, through relationships, he succeeds in becoming a chef in a hotel in Barbados . This represents the high point of his professional career. Morally Günther Dirks is at a low point at this time; the stay on the island is characterized by alcoholic excesses, sexual promiscuity and sexual violence against children. After his return to Germany, Günther Dirks does not really gain a foothold anywhere, he seeks consolation in alcohol and in the feeling of power of the physical satisfaction of his sexual needs in children. After spending time in prison, he changes country several times - his further life up to his death in Barbados is only hinted at.
This description of Günther Dirks' life is embedded in a framework story in which his daughter Alma Dirks is the protagonist. Through a letter she learns of her father's stay in Barbados and his serious illness. She decides to visit him, but only arrives there after his death. She experiences a lot of closeness and understanding from the locals and is advised to say goodbye to her father in four ways, according to the customs of the island. She adheres to this advice, keeping watch over the dead, thinking about the cycle of life and death and finally scattering his ashes in the sea. Then she returns to Germany to write down his life story.
reception
"Straightforward and chronic, at the same time immediately gripping, close to the report and yet completely novel, anything but a protocol of suffering." ( Volker Hage )
"An impressive novel with a high atmospheric density." ( Kristina Pfoser )
Liane Dirks was awarded the LiteraTour Nord prize in 2003 for her novel .
expenditure
In addition to the first edition, the novel is also available in an edition for the Gutenberg Book Guild , which was also published in 2002, and since 2004 as a paperback edition by btb . Furthermore, the novel was published in 2003 as an audio book by Random House Audio .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Volker Hage: Beloved Monster . In: Der Spiegel . No. 19 , 2002 ( online ).
- ↑ Kristina Pfoser: Dirks: Four ways to bury my father. Wiener Zeitung, September 20, 2002, accessed on July 4, 2015 .
- ↑ LiteraTour North Archive. (No longer available online.) LiteratTour Nord, archived from the original on November 19, 2015 ; Retrieved July 4, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
