Theodor Storm (1817–1888)

This is another of those books that tends to get dismissed as a “school text” - I'm sure that's why it took me so long to get around to reading it. And it's a shame, because it's a great story, and you can read it quite comfortably in a couple of evenings. Preferably stormy winter evenings, of course.

The Frisian atmosphere, with plenty of dikes and storms and seagulls, is exactly what you'd expect, but it's a bit of a surprise to discover that it's a reflection on the conflict between show more conservative superstition and enlightened scientific progress cast in - of all things - the hackneyed format of a Romantic ghost story, complete with a stormbound traveller, a lonely country inn, and an indigenous storyteller. A nice touch, with plenty of scope for irony. Thomas Hardy eat your heart out... show less

Review contains spoilers

As most of Storms novellas, "Eine Halligfahrt" is framed by a background story and told by a narrator looking back to events that have long gone.
The narrator, an advocate, recalls visiting his much older cousin who was living on a Hallig. The Halligs (Halligen) are tiny islands in the North Sea. While some have a population of a few dozen people, others are only inhabited by a handful or less. In the story, the cousin lives on an unnamed Hallig on his own and leads a show more lifestyle similar to that of a hermit.
The narrator travels to the Hallig together with a privy councillor's wife and her daughter, Susanne. The Hallig is presented like a dreamlike place and the trip feels like traveling to a fairytale island. Storm also refers to the legend of Rungholt, a settlement that sank due to a storm tide in the 14th century. While Rungholt most probably existed in reality, there is also a legend tied to it, namely that it was a prosperous city that sank because of the inhabitants' sins. It is said that Rungholt's church bells can still be heard below the waves.

The advocate, Susanne and her mother spend a little time in the cousin's house and it is obvious that the advocate feels drawn to Susanne. They even share an embrace on the beach, although nothing comes of it - maybe because Susanne just sought shelter from the attack of a sea bird, maybe because the narrator does not feel up to marrying a councillor's daughter.
The cousin fled from the numbing pressures of everyday life in the efficient Prussian state, he prefers the harsh beauty of the Hallig and the solace that his books and violin can provide to the companionship of his mundane contemporaries. Mirroring that, the advocate relates that he was advised to change his moustache and his clothing style in order to achieve a career, but he denies to do that.
Thus, this novella does not only show Storm's love of the North Sea, but it also criticizes the Prussian state in a subtle way.
The advocate finally leaves the Hallig and does not see Susanne again.

When his cousin dies, he inherits the violin as well as some written notes in which the cousin remembers a concert he once played, coerced by a woman called Evelin. He left her - presumably because society did not approve of the connection and because he chose to live on the Hallig - but it becomes clear that he always missed her. In the end, the reader learns that living on the Hallig - rejecting society and creating your own world - is not the solution, and it is not what Storm did, as much as he might have desired it.

This novella captivated me with its dreamlike scenes, with beautiful words and phrases to remember. The audiobook was narrated by prolific actor and voice actor Peter Groeger, who died in 2018. I have seldom listened to a text read aloud so well. I will certainly listen to this again. show less

Storm ist definitiv in den TOP-5 meiner Lieblingsautor*innen zu finden, was ganz einfach an seinem (kann man es "nordisch" nennen?) Schreibstil liegt. Diese seiner Werke zu Grunde liegende Tragik, welche durch einen detailverliebten und doch distanziert, nüchternen Erzählfluss getragen wird, fasziniert mich jedes Mal aufs Neue. So auch bei "Hans und Heinz Kirch", einer Vater-Sohn-Geschichte. Wie auch in der Novelle "Immensee" wollte ich an einigen Stellen der Geschichte hineinspringen und show more die Figuren anbrüllen, sie mögen doch endlich den Mund aufbekommen, um miteinander zu reden. Nur: Sie tun es an jenen Stellen nicht, was dann die Tragik und bei mir als Leser einen fast physischen Schmerz erzeugt. Unterm Strich ist es eine solide (das Wort schön passt hier inhaltlich nicht) Storm-Erzählung, die bei mir allerdings die Frage offen lässt, was nun in dem verdammten Brief stand ... show less

First encountered Theodor Storm in my teens, in his beautiful poem "Schliesse mir die Augen beide" (I want that on my gravestone!)
These short stories all have a real Storm feel to them...all set in his native Schleswig Holstein, a sense of almost a fairy tale setting...which can be lovely (beautiful young women, flower filled gardens) but simultaneously VERY eerie...but in a kind of uncertain way. There is, too, a brooding melancholy...regrets, sad recollections.
The title story wasn't my show more favourite, though it is considered one of the author's finest. It's a vey hard to analyse tale....a clever, dogged, determined local rises from obscurity to become overseer of dike building on the wild N Frisian coast. But is he a good guy (devoted to preserving the land; almost a Christ-like figure) or in league with the devil? ; (proud; at odds with his fellow men)... show less