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Autor über sich selbst / Author about himself
(English text below)
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Berlin als Heimstatt für Ratten |
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Der Autor über sich selbst: Berlin habe ich lange vorm Mauer-Bau als Kind schon erlebt, war 1948 ein Vierteljahr bei einer West-Berliner Tante, die mich durchfütterte. Nach 1961 fuhr ich gelegentlich nach Ost-Berlin zu Freunden, bis ich 1972 Berlin-Verbot bekam, wegen Verdacht auf Republikflucht. Als ich dann 1974 zu einem Zweitstudium der Opernregie wieder da auftauchte, traf ich viele alte Bekannte und lernte die Stadt jetzt als Mitbewohner kennen. Die wenigen in Berlin Geborenen habe ich auch noch kennengelernt, obwohl inzwischen beinahe jeder ein 'Zugereister' ist. 1984 ging ich in den Westen, zog vom Prenzlauer Berg nach Wedding und hatte so die Möglichkeit, den Westteil der Stadt genauer kennenzulernen. 1996 zogen wir, meine Famile und ich, wieder an den Prenzlauer Berg. Seit 2009 pensioniert. |
Armin Groepler: Autobiographical notes of the artist of German lyrics to introduce himself as columnist for the new Art Journal in Leipzig called ‚Kunststoff’ 1 – (trans. Hatto Fischer)
Hello Leipzig!
When I left East Germany in 1984 and transferred from East- to West Berlin, one had the feeling of being welcomed by all and to be looked upon as an exotic being. If one had an artistic occupation, one would be as a rule introduced to everyone and presented everywhere, but which took on sometimes ridiculous forms. The label ‘Ossi’ did not exist as of yet.
For an East German West Berlin was something of an oasis and since it was then already a diverse city, one enjoyed the colourfulness and the presence of oneself as another colourful spot within that maze.
The first six weeks I spend in a hotel which was managed by the Turkish man Ali Güvencer and financed by the Berlin Senate, since there were housed there exclusively emigrants.
Ali invited politicians from all parties, so that they looked after us and introduced us to the executive director of the Islamic Federation, with whom we visited together a Moshe and a Turkish wedding.
After the fall of the wall and during the process of unifying the two parts of the city one was hardly noticed and was one of many„Ossis“.
In the meantime there has come into existence a mixture, which differs hardly from the one in Paris or New York; the level of tolerance has been lowered and the city is in debt. Castle or Palace, that is now the question!
The castle appears to be standing on the side of the victorious ones and in that way there is drawn out in the cultural and educational sector an explicit gap of something.
But to whom do I account this! This missing something rules throughout the country and should not be something strange to the people of Leipzig.
As friendly as we were greeted 1984 in West Berlin was not received once Moses Mendel, who had come on foot from Dessau to Berlin and it took a long time until one had dismantled the prejudices against him because of his Jewish background and prior to recognizing him as businessman, promoter of the arts and a highly regarded philosopher. He called himself simply „Mendelssohn“, in reference to his father who lived in Dessau.
His nephew, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy did not make his musical carrier in Berlin.
Although he had the best chances to succeed his teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter, whose post as director of the Berlin Song Academy had become vacant after his death, one rejected him as prime choice. Although he had converted to the Christian faith and was able to show musical successes beyond the city, the apprehension about Jewish persons manifested themselves here very clearly.
A detour via Düsseldorf brought him in 1835 to Leipzig as musical director of the orchestra of the Gewandhaus, which he brought in a very short time to European fame.
One searches in vain for his grave in Leipzig, for his body was brought after death with big honour to Berlin and one finds his grave in Kreuzberg (the quarter which is firmly in the hands of the Turks) directly vis a vis the Finance department in the Jerusalem cemetery.
Not very far from there exists a park named after him and where there prevailed a well functioning Polish market during the transition after 1989, but which the police dissolved very quickly.
Hence there exist historical and after German reunification already again new relationships between Leipzig and Berlin and about which one can be only happy.
During East German times one could not stand the people of Saxony, for Walter Ulbricht used them to guard the wall, but that too has changed since then and since the new government is sitting at the ruder, there exists in Berlin not only the ‚White lake’ (Weißensee) but also the ‚Deep lake’ (Tiefensee – former mayor of Leipzig, now Minister for Transport in the Cabinet under Chancellor Merkel: note of translator), and in whom one has some expectations.
Gottfried Benn said once: „to live is to build bridges!” and I say:
Berlin as home for rats
is always once again a given.
Still one lives it off in the association
With the citizens from being human to pig!
Armin Groepler
Berlin 22.1.2006
« Deutsche Elegien | Outside view of German poetry »