DER UNTERTAN

In the organizer's words:

Heinrich Mann's clear-sighted Bildungsroman "Der Untertan", published in 1914, portrays the Wilhelmine Empire and its self-celebrating bourgeoisie dreaming of nationalist fantasies of great power with bitter humor. Mann's protagonist Diederich Hessling is an opportunist without backbone or moral courage. It is only at the regulars' table that he forgets his insecurities and rises to nationalist speeches. However, Mann does not portray Hessling as a joke, but as a complex personality characterized by a blind belief in authority and ultimately deformed.

"Nothing human could stand up to power."

"Diederich Hessling was a soft child who loved to dream, was afraid of everything and suffered a lot from his ears." This is how Heinrich Mann's clear-sighted Bildungsroman, published in 1914, begins. With bitter humor, "Der Untertan" portrays the Wilhelmine Empire and its self-celebrating bourgeoisie dreaming of nationalist fantasies of great power. It is an unsurpassed portrait of the mores of late Wilhelmine society, in which Mann's protagonist Diederich Hessling celebrates his great social rise with his "cyclist mentality" - hunching upwards and kicking downwards. It is only at the regulars' table that he forgets his insecurities and makes grand speeches that are never followed by action. However, Mann does not portray Hessling as a joke, but as a complex personality characterized by a blind belief in authority and ultimately deformed. Mann clearly hints at the mindset to which Hessling's unshakeable belief in authority leads, which is why his novel "Der Untertan" is also considered an early harbinger of the coming fascism. Mann later said that he "still lacked the concept of unborn fascism, but not the view behind it".

Following his critically and publicly acclaimed productions of "Götz von Berlichingen" and "Sankt Falstaff", in-house director Alexander Eisenach continues his thematic and theatrical examination of societies at a political crossroads with Heinrich Mann's "Der Untertan".

Price information:

10 euros for pupils, students, trainees and volunteers up to 30 years of age