Draußen vor der Tür

January 3, 2007 6:59 PM

Short Stories of Wolfgang Borchert. Known primarily for his play Draußen vor der Tür (The Man Outside), Wolfgang Borchert lived a short, dramatic life as a soldier, almost-POW, and playwright. Equally short and dramatic are many of his short stories, especially "The Melancholy Geraniums."
posted by John of Michigan (4 comments total)

Hm, The Melancholy Geraniums is not a very inviting title I'd say.
posted by jouke at 8:53 PM on January 3, 2007

A twisted part of me loves stuff like this. Never hear of him; thanks for the post.

(But shouldn't the word "sown" in The Melancholy Geraniums be "sewn", that is, stitched on?)
posted by landis at 12:35 AM on January 4, 2007

And shouldn't there be a "d" after the word "hear" in my previous comment?
posted by landis at 12:37 AM on January 4, 2007

This guy is one of my all-time favorite writers. In one story, there is a German soldier in a fox hole in the middle of a vast, silent, snow-bound Russian forest. The guy is starting to crack, so he starts to sing. All of sudden, his sargeant comes running over. The soldier thinks, "Oh, man. I'm a dead man." But the sergeant grabs him by the collar, and says, "Fritz, do you hear the singing? Tell me you hear the singing!"
posted by No Robots at 7:54 AM on January 4, 2007