One July day
(Hans Werner Richter)
The novel is divided into several unnamed chapters and describes the period after the First World War and political upheavals. The main characters are Caroline Schroeder Christian Wahl and his younger brother Philip.
is the beginning of the novel describes the situation at Philip's funeral, which is regarded as a starting point in history. Philip is the youngest brother of Christian, who suffered from tuberculosis since its youths, and thirty years after his flight from Germany, where he had to overcome a sea route to swimming, he died of his chronic illness. His wife, Carol, was in the period before the Second World War, Christian's mistress. Phil loves his wife and his brother so much. Perhaps Caroline loves Philip Christian and vice versa, perhaps Philip in their Christian love.
This novel is basically calls between Caroline and Christian said after the funeral. The places where all the action took place change, between Berlin, Paris and Sweden. It can be determined by Caroline's memory. This is a conversation, after fifty years since Caroline's first visit to Berlin. And there were the memories of her love for Christian and his brother Philip, on their life together in Paris, her bitter life in Berlin with no Christian, at first bitter years in Sweden and her happy life with Philip, the lasts 30 years. Christian wants to and can not remember the past accurately. This means that all memories are recalled in it, the memories of the past, the bring him in many of consciousness: the time in a small town on the Oder estuary, as a Christian she first meets, in Berlin, when Karoline him on 1 May 1933 attended for the first time, their life together in Berlin with different experiences, turmoil, fear Bishins to flee to Paris, the common life in Paris and the return to Berlin.
Christian has Karoline Schroeder met for the first time at the wedding of his older brother, and she liked him. In this part of the feeling of Christian is described. In Sweden, he felt a stranger, and in his own village he did not feel they belong. Only for Caroline, who he met again later, you feel he assumed correctly. In a short time he has taken her in his heart. To get their attention, he told her much about his political position, and told everything possible, even though he really has little idea, and Caroline is impressed. She represents a lot of questions. Caroline was 16 years, Christian 21 and Philip was 15 years old. Because of its depiction Caroline went to high school to Berlin to study. Christian has been living for some time in Berlin and runs left in intellectual circles, with whom he shares the belief in a better, communist future. Instead of a socialist revolution, but the Nazis come. Because of the oppression, persecution, the prohibitions by National Socialism and the uncertainty has decided since the night of the Christian book burnings in May and go away to leave the country. Then the young couple fled to Paris in early November. There, they live by Caroline's money from the two hundred marks, which send their parents every month. In Paris, he lives safe but then he realizes that his life there, only waiting for a change over there in Germany means. So he decided after a long heated discussion with his friends to return to Germany because he believed he could only fight enemies at home. He has previously Karoline sent to Germany to spy out the situation, whether he accepted in this country ever is. On his arrival in Berlin, he finds that this country is no longer his country, he is a foreign country has become, in which he no longer heard, and perhaps never will belong. lives in the boarding house where Caroline, he feels insecure, for there dwell the SA men.
It was a day in April, where he had to go into the army, the beginning of separation. A terrible day for Karoline and many weeks later they have to accept slow to lose it and not see her again. Out of desperation, she married a foreigner and moved to Sweden with him - in the land which was not involved in the war. The marriage lasts less than 2 years, they divorced.
will after the death of her husband, they remain forever in Sweden, because they can not part with it. For them, death is no separation. She's been around for over twenty years, Swedish girl, loves the country, the people, the language that already has long since become their own. In the countryside, and Philip found only understanding and help. Residents have helped Philip more than any other. Sweden is a wonderful country, a country of peace. Everything seems to them to be closer, more human, the proximity of the neighborhood, the sympathy, the willingness to help. It also has no one in Germany, which she loves. Christian was her past. Because of their love at that time she followed the will of Christians and so they lived in uncertainty, since he has never cared about them. Now it has changed, has her own life, their own will. With Philip it has the right happy love, the quiet life out although Philipp often lived in passions.
Diana
Dusseldorf, 11.02.2008
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