How German Is It
by Walter Abish
Award: PEN/Faulkner Award 1981
Date Read: June 9, 2021
I am not quite sure what to make of this novel. At times entertaining, I am not sure these characters are interested in growing as people as they are in growing in social status. Each of the profiles presented seem obsessed with their own endeavors, whether it be wealth, a new tryst, or just to keep on keeping on. Since each character is German, I thought the legacy of the war would come to play in their own self-assessments but it surprisingly doesn’t cause a batted eyelash.
All of the characters here seem desperate to shed their atrocious past and jump on the social ladder with the highest rungs in mind. But there are a few reminders that just can’t be shed. Franz, the waiter at the Pflaume, is still fascinated by the legacy of his town and has set himself to the tedious task of building the Durst concentration camp out of matchsticks. And, as if laughing at their desire to simply move forward without truly contemplating the past, the town of Brumholdstein is discovered to have been built on a mass grave from the Durst camp.
I was confused about the relationship between the brothers Helmuth and Ulrich. Was it based on contempt? Did Helmuth really try to have his brother killed? Was Helmuth jealous of Ulrich, or vice versa? Were they, in fact, brothers at all? This relationship left me scratching my head.
I further didn’t understand everyone jumping into bed with everyone else. Somehow none of the affairs here were that secret and there was little price to pay if they were discovered. Even marital infidelity was met with annoyance and minor spite rather than all out anger. Is this an aspect of German culture that I’m just not familiar with?
Regardless, all of these characters seemed to be living vapid lives without any deep relationships and valued their possessions and social position more than each other. Not really my cup of tea.
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