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12c 1934 A FRIENDLY TALK WITH DR
ELSTER
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Franz Werfel on holidays in an Italy, sitting in a coffee
house in Santa Margherita. He is writing into his notebook.
February 1934.
WERFEL Buon
Giorno, Rosetta!
RESERL Ah,
Signore Werfel!
WERFEL Come
stai?
RESERL Va
bene, grazie. Mi dica?
WERFEL Si,
un cafe...
RESERL (interrupts:)
Un cafe solo e un aqua minerale con gas.
WERFEL Senta…
e un cornetto.
RESERL Mi
puo dedicare una piccola frase? Lei adoro Signor Werfel.
WERFEL Ti
scrivo qualcosa. Un dedica.
RESERL Darmelo,
darmelo...! - Grazie!
WERFEL Di
niente
Dr. Hanns Martin Elster appears.
ELSTER Franz?!!
WERFEL Hanns?
I can't believe it! What a surprise! What brings you to Santa
Margherita?
ELSTER you,
of course. - No, relax, I'm joking. I'm on my way back to
Berlin. It's pure chance that I stopped here.
WERFEL Why
don't you come and have a coffee with me? - Rosetta, un altro
caffè, per favore!
ELSTER But
what are you doing here, if I may ask?
WERFEL Well,
I'm trying to work.
ELSTER To
work?! You must be joking! I'm sure your new novel will make
of you a millionaire in American dollars!
WERFEL It
hasn't been translated into English yet .
ELSTER Believe
me, with the large Armenian community in the United States
it's only a matter of time. I can already see a Hollywood
movie based on your book. »The 40 Days of Musa Dagh«!
By the way, the title is excellent. Brilliant! I'm sure you'll
become the national hero of the Armenians in no time.
WERFEL Yes,
it's true I'm getting very touching reactions from the Armenian
readers. But to tell you the truth, I'm much more concerned
with the reactions to the book in Germany. After all, I'm
a German writer before anything else.
ELSTER Oh,
sure! Of course, of course!
WERFEL Isn't
it curious? I haven't gotten an answer yet to my application
for membership in the German Third Reich Authors Union.
ELSTER Oh,
you haven't, have you? How curious!
WERFEL Maybe
it's because I'm a Czechoslovakian citizen?
ELSTER Oh,
that could be a reason...
WERFEL Though
I took care to emphasise that I'm a Viennese resident, and
that I belong to the German minority in Czechoslovakia.
ELSTER When
did you send the letter of application?
WERFEL I
sent it shortly after the publication of Musa Dagh, almost
three months ago.
ELSTER Yes!
That's almost three months ago -
WERFEL Did
they get in touch with you?
ELSTER Why
should they?
WERFEL For
a recommendation.
ELSTER Oh!
For a recommendation... No, as a matter of fact, they didn't.
WERFEL Why
not ?
ELSTER I
don't know!
WERFEL After
all I'm not an anonymous writer...
ELSTER Oh
no, you're surely not an anonymous writer. You are Werfel!
WERFEL Yes!
My novel got a very strong and unanimously favourable reception
in the German literary press, and very good notices abroad
as well, from Amsterdam to Madrid! I'm sure this book is a
major contribution to the prestige of contemporary German
literature. Don't you think so?
ELSTER Oh
yes, yes! Of course. - By the way, how did you get the idea
to write this book? I mean, after all, the Armenians... Who
knows about them? Who cares?
WERFEL I
do.
ELSTER Yes,
that's very nice, but what was it that inspired you to write
the book? It wasn't commissioned by some American Armenian
sponsors, or was it?
WERFEL Oh
no! Of course not. - I was on a visit to Palestine...
ELSTER Oh,
you were on a visit to Palestine! Really?
WERFEL Yes,
in 1929. Five years ago. With Alma. It was our honeymoon.
ELSTER How
lovely!
WERFEL But
that was already my second visit to Palestine. The first time
went there was ten years ago.
ELSTER How
did you find the place?
WERFEL Palestine?
Ahhh! Wonderful. Just wonderful! Amazing! It's unbelievable
how much the country's developed in the last years. You have
to see what they've achieved! In matters of agriculture, education,
health, industry, construction, trade unions -
ELSTER You
mean, the Jewish immigrants.
WERFEL Of
course. They are working miracles ! It's outstanding!
ELSTER And
you never think of settling there?
WERFEL I'm
not a Zionist.
ELSTER No.
But you are a Jew! Don't you want to be part of that miracle
your People are working these days?
WERFEL No,
I -
ELSTER Shall
I tell you the truth? I don't understand you. Aren't you a
patriot of your People?
WERFEL I
am a patriot of my People. I am a patriot of my country. I'm
German.
ELSTER You
are German? But then I still don't understand what gave you
the crazy idea to write a book about the Armenian People:
»The 40 Days of Musa Dagh«. As a German patriot
I just don't understand it, Franz, I'm sorry.
WERFEL Look:
from Palestine we went on to Damascus. And on the road to
Damascus we met some Armenians. Survivors of the massacre
the Turks carried out among the Armenians. You've heard about
that, haven't you?
ELSTER Yes,
yes.
WERFEL And
there they told me their story. It was… unbelievable.
Horror upon horror! A nightmare. The Turks massacred an entire
People! It's unimaginable!
ELSTER Hmm.
Have you heard the Turkish version?
WERFEL No!
Why should I care about the murderers?
ELSTER Well,
they happen to be our allies... at least during the war.
WERFEL What
has that got to do with my book?
ELSTER Well…
A Turkish journalist complained to the German authorities
that your “40 Days” is prejudiced against the Turks
in a very offensive manner.
WERFEL That's
ridiculous! In comparison with the Turkish crimes...
ELSTER Yes.
But that's not what the German authorities thought.
WERFEL What
do you mean?
ELSTER Franz,
I'm afraid I have to inform you that according to paragraph
seven of the Chancellor's regulation for the protection of
the German People, your book is banned and forbidden for sale
throughout the entire German Reich.
WERFEL My
book is what?! Are you kidding?
ELSTER The
press unanimously praised the decision.
WERFEL The
press did what…? That can't be true!
ELSTER (produces
a heap of press-clips:) Here, see for yourself.
WERFEL But...
my application…?
ELSTER Franz,
are you crazy? Are you stupid? Did you really expect to get
an answer to your application?
WERFEL Why
not?
ELSTER Let
me tell you this: you are not going to get an answer. Not
even a negative one.
WERFEL Why
not?!
ELSTER Because
you are a Jew!
WERFEL But
I'm a German writer!
ELSTER Franz!
Franz! Franz! Honestly, are you out of your mind? How can
you be so blind? So stupid?! You Jews…! You're supposed
to be clever People, aren't you? Know-it-alls. ! You can't
be that ignorant , Franz! Hasn't any one told you about the
nature of the National Socialist revolution?! Or have you
just misunderstood it? Do you have to be kicked in the ass,
and thrown out of the country to understand that there's no
place for you there anymore? You are no longer wanted in Germany!
Do you understand? Neither as a community, nor as individuals.
- Franz, you have visited Palestine. You were there! Why,
for God's sake, didn't you stay?!
WERFEL I...
I don't understand... Is that an official message, or what…?
ELSTER Listen,
Franz. I didn't come here by chance. I came here to warn you.
As a friend. And this is friendly advice: go back to Palestine!
You hear me? Go! Go! As quickly as possible. I beg you! There
is still time to abandon Germany. Go while you are still allowed
to leave German territory with the clothes on your back !
Don't stay in Europe. Just go! You hear me? Go! Go!! Go!!!
And don't wait until you get an »official message«.
Because such an »official message« will not come
in a letter, it will come in the shape of a bullet in the
back of your neck. Do you understand? Now listen: we haven't
met. You haven't seen me. This conversation has not taken
place. Do you understand? We never met. We don't know each
other. And something else: Don't write me any more letters
, and don't expect me to interfere in your favour in any official
or unofficial matters. Is that clear? You'd be risking your
life - and mine. Adieu, Franz!
Elster exits.
WERFEL Signora!
Signora!! Una telefonata a Vienna 6-0-7-6-0-5
RESERL (picks
up the phone:) Signorina, una telefonata a Austria! Si, Grazie.
WERFEL (takes
the receiver:) Alma? Listen! I will tell you everything when
we meet. All I can say now, is that I am standing on the ruins
of my identity . My books are banned in Germany. I have been
written out of the book of the living. And since I am still
a German author, I am now literally hanging in empty space...
RESERL Signore
Werfel, Signore Werfel! Cosa Che? Cose che? ! Non ti senti
bene? Che disturbi hai? Dov'e che ti fa male? Signore Werfel,
mi puoi sentire?
ALMA I'm
leaving everything in Vienna. I'm coming to be with you at
once. . Wherever you go, I'll go with you. Don't be afraid.
I love you, Franz. We will overcome this madness.
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