The Father of a Murderer

This novella depicts a Greek lesson at a grammar school in Munich in 1928. In the beginning of the lesson, the headmaster enters the room to inspect the class. The reader experiences the lesson from the perspective of student Franz Kien, who does not have good grades in the subject. However, the two striking aspects of the novella are that the headmaster is Gebhard Himmler, father of Heinrich Himmler (one of the main architects of the Holocaust), and that the text is autobiographical, with Franz being the alter ego of Alfred Andersch. He really was a student at this school, and he really met Gebhard Himmler during a Greek lesson.

The story is like a chamber play, the blackboard and teacher's desk are a stage, and we witness it all play show more out. The interactions between the headmaster and the young teacher, the fear and excitement of the students, Franz's nervousness and his thoughts about Himmler. Moreover, there is the political background, and it is apparent when Franz thinks about his family, his classmates, and about what he knows about his headmaster's son.

There is an afterword by the author in which he explains why he decided to fictionalize his experience and that contains more information about the text.

This is a quick read, but it is gripping and disturbing, and I do recommend it. show less

This is all about Himmler's father and therefore about Himmler too.

"Der Vater eines Mörders" eröffnet einem einen neuen Blickwinkel auf eine Person, die wohl jedermann ein Begriff ist: Heinrich Himmler, Spitze der SS. Interessante Lektüre für solche die sich oft die "Wie konnte es dazu kommen?" Frage stellen.