Wound edges (book)

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Wundränder is a novel by the South Tyrolean writer Sepp Mall , first published in 2004 by Haymon Verlag .

shape

There are two narrative strands that run parallel to each other and are loosely connected to one another on the subject of the bomb attacks in the 1960s. The first storyline is told from the first person perspective of twelve year old Paul, whose father is arrested one day. The second story is told from the first person perspective of a young woman (Johanna) who flees to the city with her stuttering brother Alex from their authoritarian parents.

The two protagonists Paul and Johanna have no idea of ​​the double life of their family members and are therefore only indirectly connected to the attacks. In the course of the story, the lives of Paul and Johanna intersect without both being aware of their similar fate.

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action

The story takes place in South Tyrol in the 1960s. The boy Paul tells that his father was unexpectedly and inexplicably arrested. His mother is about to collapse completely and is supported by a former work colleague of the father. Neither the mother nor the older sister Maria want to explain to Paul the reasons for the imprisonment. Paul's best friend Herbert is just as clueless, only his Italian friend Stella asks him once if Paul's father was actually an assassin, which the boy denies. When the father returns from custody, he is completely different and does not leave the house anymore. The family has now moved to the Harlem district, which is mainly inhabited by Italians. One day the word “traitor pig” is on the wall of the house. Only once does his father get angry when he learns that Maria is friends with an Italian soldier. In the end, the father will likely commit suicide.

The second storyline is told by Johanna. Johanna always took hold of her brother Alex, who is tormented by his stuttering. The two of them leave their authoritarian home and move to town, where Johanna works as a nurse and Alex as a craftsman. During this time, Alex gets more and more from his sister, makes friends and begins to live his own life. His sister suffers, but holds back and does not want to interfere too much in the brother's affairs. One day Alex gives her a dog so that she doesn't feel so lonely anymore. She befriends the daughter of Alex's boss, who fell in love with Alex. Eventually Alex is killed trying to blow up a memorial. Her brother's double life remains incomprehensible to her. In the end she meets Paul, in whom she recognizes her brother and her motherly feelings awaken again.

Historical background

The historical background of the book is the 1960s in South Tyrol , which were marked by South Tyrol's struggle for independence from Italy. After decades of oppression of the German-speaking South Tyroleans, activists who organized bomb attacks in the 1960s saw radicalization, which culminated in the " night of fire " with the demolition of 34 electricity pylons.

title

The term wound edge is a medical term that describes the healing process of a wound.

expenditure

  • Sepp Mall: wound edges . First edition. Haymon-Verlag, Innsbruck-Vienna 2004. ISBN 3-85218-458-4 .
  • Sepp Mall: wound edges . Special edition Innsbruck reads. Haymon-Verlag, Innsbruck-Vienna 2005.
  • Sepp Mall: wound edges . Haymon-Taschenbuch 75. Haymon-Verlag, Innsbruck 2011. ISBN 978-3-85218-875-1 .
  • Sepp Mall: Ai margini della ferita . [Orig .: edges of the wound]. Translated into Italian by Sonia Sulzer. Keller-Verlag, Rovereto 2014. ISBN 978-88-89767-52-8 .

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literature

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