Räume der Arbeit, Räume des Gebets – verschiedene Funktionen von Räumen in Franz Werfels Der veruntreute Himmel
Places of Work, Places of Prayer - Different Functions of Spaces in Franz Werfel's The Embezzled Sky

Summary/Abstract: The main protagonist of the Franz Werfel’s novel The Embezzled Heaven (1939), Teta Linek, a long-time cook for the rich Argan family, decides to go on a pilgrimage to Rome after being cheated on by her nephew Mojmir, who, instead of becoming a priest, used Teta’s money intended for his education in seminar for sinful purposes. After the audience with Pope Pius XI she dies (reconciled with God and herself) in the hospital there. We visit different places with Teta: her employers' luxurious villa, her sister's lower-middle-class apartment, her nephew's shabby room or the Roman catacombs. All of these spaces have different functions in Teta's life, which are carefully analyzed in the article in order to better understand her attitude towards herself, other people and God. This analysis aims to prove that the simple and pious cook was a very modern woman who fought courageously to achieve her goals (worldly and spiritual).

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