Georg Büchner (1) (1813–1837)

As somebody already pointed out, the story of a man driven insane by the insanity of society. While the idea in itself has tons of potential, I thought the execution leaves one rather unsatisfied. The nonlinear, almost sporadic structure is highly unusual, definitely predated, and works all right, even though the individual scenes do need a lot of polishing. I can see quite clearly the need to write several versions, move bits of dialogue and entire scenes about to see what works best where, since, after all, the loose structure does allow it. However, I couldn't help but think that if Büchner took the trouble to pen more than one version, perhaps he could have made the extra effort and completed at least one of them to satisfaction. I find it rather a pity he died before finishing it, as I suspect this might have stopped him from developing the piece further.
If I'd been the one writing it, I'd have definitely gone for a scene sequence that would clearly show the progression of Woyzeck's mental instability, and provide a stark contrast between the state of his mind and the interests of the corrupt society he's living in.
Altogether worth one's time, supposing one's patient enough to make sense of the scattered scenes and appreciate the subtle wit of some scenes.
Or maybe Büchner made such a mess of it on purpose - he wanted to inspire people to write fan fiction based on his work. Who knows. After we've covered it in Drama History class, maybe even I'll feel inspired.… (more)

In my earlier Danton review I already praised Georg Büchner’s masterful precocity. Deceased at 24, he still managed to write three and a half masterpieces: Dantons Tod, Leonce und Lena, Woyzeck and the unfinished Lenz. The works are considered landmarks in the history of German literature, early precursors of the Modern European roman. They were praised by Zweig, set to music by Alban Berg and burned on celluloid by no one less than Herzog.

I found an older copy of Lenz on the second-hand book market and without hesitation took it home for a quick read. And quick it was! Only 35 pages, but so fast-paced, so modern, so obsessively written that it leaves the reader panting: the story of Jacob Lenz (1751-1792), poet and theater-maker, one of the key representatives of the Sturm und Drang, slipping into insanity.

Poor Lenz, delicate and small, the flipside of the Goethe persona, as good a writer as the famous “Wandrer” was, maybe even better, but lacking the stature, the charisma, the social intelligence and the romantic skills. When Lenz became insufferable and a danger to Goethe’s reputation and position, the Master got rid of him. Lenz was banned from the province after a mysterious incident, an unforgivable “foolishness” that happened on the 26 of November 1776.

Büchner’s novel make us follow the interdicted Lenz; his erratic wandering, his despair, his hopeless seeking of solace, his battling bouts of depression, his final tumble into a terrifying madness from which there is no return…

What a nightmare…… (more)