Existieren in Widersprüchen: die „Inkonsequenz“ als „wahrheitsgetreueres Bild des Lebens“.
Existieren in Widersprüchen: die „Inkonsequenz“ als „wahrheitsgetreueres Bild des Lebens“.

Summary/Abstract: Zu Johannes Urzidils (auto)biographischer Skizze ‘Väterliches aus Prag’ (1968), mit einem kleinen Exkurs über Urzidil und Franz Kafka The article discusses Johannes URZIDIL’s short sketch ‘Väterliches aus Prag’ (1968), an ironic and yet affectionate portrait of his father Josef URZIDIL (1854-1922), a man full of the antagonisms and conflicts of his time. Especially troubling is his antisemitism and German nationalism, not only from today’s point of view. These problematic attitudes did not prevent him from marrying first a Jewish woman (Johannes URZIDIL’s mother) and, after her early death, a Czech one. Despite these shortcomings, Josef URZIDIL became a model for his son Johannes in the sense of teaching him how to put up with contradictions. Thus it may be possible to assert that the future writer learned the lessons of tolerance in a roundabout way from a conflicted father who inspired him to coin the word „hinternational“ (‚behind and beyond nationalism’).

• Details
• Contents