Friedrich Christian Delius

Portrait of the mother as a young woman

Roman

Die Liebesgeschichtenerzählerin

Erzählung

Die Birnen von Ribbeck

Rom im Winter 1943: Eine junge, schwangere Frau (die Mutter des Autors) erobert auf vielen Spaziergängen die ewige Stadt für sich, sehnt sich nach ihrem Mann, der in Nordafrika kämpft, und blickt mit Hoffnungen und Sorgen in eine ungewisse Zukunft.

Bildnis der Mutter als junge Frau

Die Minute MIT Paul Mccartney

Der Büchner-Preisträger Friedrich Christian Delius, verstorben im vergangenen Frühjahr, wäre im Februar 2023 achtzig Jahre alt geworden. Bis zuletzt schrieb er und näherte sich seinem Leben in einer Autobiographie, wie man sie noch nicht kennt: in gut dreihundert Stichworten, die mit A beginnen, spielerisch, gedankenscharf und poetisch. Von «Abbey Road» und «Abendrot» über «Adorf» und «Adorno», «Akte» der Stasi und «Aktien» von Siemens, acht «Altkanzler», «Abstand», «Anstand», «Aufstand» bis zu «Arroganz» und «Azzurro» schildert Delius in konzentrierten Texten, was ihm aus all den bewegten und begegnungsreichen Jahrzehnten wirklich wichtig ist. Einprägsame Porträts von Zeitgenossen und Künstlern wechseln sich ab mit Erlebnissen mit Politikern wie Willy Brandt oder Gegnern wie Hermann Josef Abs; lang gereifte Gedanken über Musik und Literatur finden sich ebenso wie flirrende Beobachtungen aus Berlin, New York oder Rom, der Geburts- und Lebensstadt, in die F. C. Delius immer wieder zurückkehrte; dazwischen traumschöne Erinnerungen an die Jugend, an Landschaften, an ein erstes kindliches Verliebtsein. Eine ganz besondere, persönliche Chronik, die nicht nur acht Jahrzehnte deutscher Geistes- und Gesellschaftsgeschichte festhält, sondern stets aufs Größere zielt – auf das Leben. Hier blickt man durch die Augen eines bedeutenden Autors auf die Welt; hier wird das Erinnern selbst zur Kunst.

Erinnerungen mit großem A | Platz 1 der SWR Bestenliste März 2023

«Darling, it's Dilius!»

Biografische Skizzen

Als die Bücher noch geholfen haben

The Pears of Ribbeck

Fiction. Translated by Robert A. Cantrick. Rome, 2011. A German archaeologist and part-time tour guide accidentally stumbles upon the pope attending a Protestant church incognito and enters into a whirlwind of speculation: What does the pope's hand do when he's doing nothing? What might make his hand twitch? Is there such a thing as a papal slap, and if so to whom should it be administered? To the lecherous Italian Prime Minister? To a certain Libyan oil dictator as he curries favor with the Italian head of state with thirty Berber horses while at the same time attempting to convert all of Europe to Islam? And speaking of which, why did Saint Augustine have to bribe the Roman Emperor Honorius with eighty Numidian stallions to gain acceptance for the doctrine of original sin? Why do Germans long for Rome, even though--ever since the Teutonic invasions and the Nazi occupation--they have been considered the worst sort of barbarians there? Meanwhile, the narrator's sister-in-law dreams of being pope, the pizza breath of noisy tourists wafts through the Sistine Chapel, and rats swarm about Via Veneto. Looking past the idealized Rome of picture postcards, the tour guide mentally roams through the city's long history and extols the Italian art of saying yes and no at the same time. At once a timeless tale of Rome and the birth of a modern legend: how the pope became a Lutheran. "A wonderful story...here a free spirit vents his feelings on the oppressive perfume of the Roman historical superpower."--Süddeutsche Zeitung "A slender, intelligent book...satirical and written with literary finesse."--Westdeutscher Rundfunk "Besides the Baedeker, this book belongs in the luggage of every visitor to Rome."--Deutschlandfunk

The Pope's Left Hand

A literary masterpiece by one of Germany's most renowned contemporary writers. Rome one January afternoon in 1943. A young German woman is on her way to listen to a Bach concert at the Lutheran church. Innocent and naïve, the war is for her little more than a day-dream, until she realizes that her husband might never return. This is a mesmerizing psychological portrait of the human need to safeguard innocence and integrity at any cost - even at the risk of excluding reality. Why Peirene chose to publish this book: ‘I was simply enthralled by the structure of this narrative; a single 117-page long sentence with a beautifully clear rhythm. At the same time it's a compelling and credible description of a "typical" young German woman during the Nazi era. If we can relate to her we come close to understanding the forces that were shaping an entire generation.’ Meike Ziervogel ‘A small masterpiece.’ Helmut Schmitz, Times Literary Supplement ‘A formidable achievement by a German writer too little known here. Delius understands the forces that shape Germany and has the gift to articulate joy, beauty and love.’ Rosie Goldsmith, Independent ‘A beautifully crafted work of superb psychological intensity.’ Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening Post ‘The book's last paragraph, overtly expressing nothing more than the young woman's intention to write a letter, is one of the most moving conclusions I've ever read.’ Nicholas Lezard, Guardian ‘Delius’s exploration of how indoctrination and denial work impresses with both the sympathy it creates for its bewildered protagonist and the musicality of its prose.’ Adrian Turpin, Financial Times ‘The single 117-page sentence, covering just an hour-long walk, contains multitudes.’ Blake Morrison, Guardian GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2010

Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman

eine Festschrift zum 125jährigen Bestehen des Hauses S.

Unsere Siemens-Welt

In Rome one January afternoon in 1943, a young German woman is on her way to listen to a Bach concert at the Lutheran church. The war is for her little more than a daydream, until she realizes that her husband might never return. Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman, winner of the prestigious Georg Büchner prize, is a mesmerizing psychological portrait of the human need to safeguard innocence and integrity at any cost—even at the risk of excluding reality. More than just the story of this single woman, it is a compelling and credible description of a typical young German woman during the Nazi era.

A Novel

Eine Frau, Opfer der entführten äLandshutä (1977), schildert aus ganz persönlicher Sicht ihre Erfahrungen, ihre Angst und Wut in dieser extremen Situation

Friedrich Christian Delius

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