Lukas Hartmann turns 80: Stories about history
Published: Monday, Aug 26th 2024, 10:20
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In his wide-ranging work, Lukas Hartmann has developed his very own, committed and contemporary take on the historical novel. The Bernese author, whose real name is Hans Rudolf Lehmann, will be 80 years old on August 29.
In his literary debut "Madeleine, Martha and Pia", the former radio editor set out to change the world. In the foreword, he wrote: "There is no way to effectively help the victims of our social system without changing the constraints and norms that cause them to fail."
With books such as "Broken Ice" (1980) and "The Wolves Are Fed Up" (1993), but above all with his children's books, he seemed to want to continue to change society through his writing.
In the title story of his second work, "Mozart im Hurenhaus", Hartman was already guided in 1976 by the endeavor that was to become his trademark: to exemplify the historicity of man and his actions in different times.
In 1978, in "Pestalozzi's Mountain", he turned the schoolmaster icon into "a fallible human being who could encourage us to live more honestly, i.e. more offensively".
Eight-part Bern series
In his Bern series of novels from 1992 to 2009, he shed light on an earlier era in relation to the present eight times. For example, "The Plague" contrasted the plague of the 14th century with the disease AIDS. In "Die Mohrin", Hartmann played out the themes of xenophobia and racism in the context of Bern's colonial policy in the 18th century.
"The Convoy" reflected the turning point of the First World War just as much as "The Last Night of the Old Days" did that of 1798 with the fall of the Ancien Régime. "To the End of the Seas" depicts the era around 1780, when Europe allowed itself fatal access to the Third World with James Cook's South Sea expedition.
In "Die Frau im Pelz", Hartmann dealt with National Socialism using the example of a Bernese accomplice. In "Die Deutsche im Dorf" (The German in the Village), he addressed the consequences of this again using a tragic misunderstanding from 1967.
Conclusion and a new beginning
When he received the Berner Literaturpreis for his work, Hartmann declared in 2010 that he wanted to "finish with the Berner series and try something new". This was followed by the novels "Finsteres Glück" and "Ein passender Mieter", both set in the present day.
Hartmann then turned his attention back to historical themes. This resulted in works such as "Räuberleben", the evocation of a desperado à la Robin Hood and a group of "Sans-Papiers" in 1787. "Abschied von Sansibar" described the life of an African princess who landed in Germany. "On Both Sides" traced the turning point of 1989.
"Das Bild von Lydia" is a portrait of the soul of Lydia Welti-Escher, who tragically failed in her quest for emancipation. "The Singer" paints a portrait of the legendary tenor Joseph Schmidt, who fell silent forever after fleeing to the "merciless paradise of Switzerland" in 1942.
"Well recovered and grateful"
And Hartmann himself? His biography? "Broken Ice" sheds light on his relationship with his father. "On Both Sides" documents the failure of his own 1968 visions. In his latest novel "Martha und die Ihren" (April 2024), he tackles the issue of Verdingkind using the example of his grandmother.
He wrote more than half of this book before his stroke and the rest afterwards. When it was published, Hartmann told the Keystone-SDA news agency through his publisher that he had "recovered well and is grateful for it". "Martha and Yours" is currently one of the top ten bestsellers in Swiss fiction. On September 1, Hartmann will read from his new work at the Paul Klee Center in Bern.
Hartmann's wife, former Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga (SP), was an advocate for former Verdingkinder in the national government. In the fall of 2022, ten days after her husband's stroke, she abruptly resigned from the Federal Council. "At the time, I didn't know what would happen with my husband," she said in an interview. The decision was in her favor at the time and still is today.
©Keystone/SDA
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