In Potsdam, you know in Potsdam there was a fellow they later called the living corpse. He was that ilk. This fellow, one Bornemann, he did a bunk when he was almost at the end of his time, and he was doing fifteen years’ hard, so, the fellow escapes, and by the way it wasn’t Potsdam at all, it was somewhere near Anklam, Gorke was the name of the place. So our man Bornemann on his way out of Neugard runs into this dead body in the river, in the Spree, and Neugard, or rather Bornemann from Neugard, says to hisself: ‘I’m as good as dead meself’, and he walks up to the corpse and slips it his papers, and now he is dead. And Frau Bornemann: ‘What shall I do? There’s nothing I can do, he’s dead, and is it really my husband, I almost hope it is, because what have I lost, what’s a man like that good for, he spends half his life behind bars, away with him.’ My little Otto, oh God, my little Otto, he’s not dead a lot-to, or even a little-o. He reaches Anklam, and because he’s just had occasion to note that water is something nice, he now has a liking for it, and so he sets up as a fishmonger, sells wet fish in Anklam, and goes by the name of Finke. No more Bornemann. But they managed to nab him anyway. If you want to learn how, then hang onto your chairs.
A stepdaughter of his, as luck would have it, came to Anklam in service, what are the odds on that, in the whole world, but no, she moves to Anklam, and she runs into the redivived fish who’s been living there for a hundred years and has left Neugard, and the girl is all growed up, and has fled her coop, and of course he fails to recognize her, but she recognizes him. She says to him: ‘Ain’t you my old man?’ He replies: ‘I never, you must have a screw loose.’ And because she still doesn’t believe him, he calls his wife and his one-two-three-four-five children, and they bear him out: ‘That’s Finke the fishmonger.’ Otto Finke, everyone in the village knows. Everyone knows, Herr Finke’s the man, and it’s the other fellow, Herr Bornemann, who died.
But she, not that he done anything to her, she doesn’t see it that way. The girl leaves, who knows what goes on in a female soul, she’s got bees in her bonnet. She writes a letter to the police in Berlin, dept. 4 A: ‘I made several purchases from Herr Finke, but seeing as I am his stepdaughter, he doesn’t see himself as my father, and is cheating my mother, and has five children with another woman.’ The children are allowed to keep their given names, but where everything else is concerned, they’ve lost. They’re called Hundt, with a dt at the end, which is their mother’s name, and all of a sudden they’re illegitimate, the relevant paragraph goes: an illegitimate child and its father are not related in law.
And no different than the aforementioned Finke, Franz Biberkopf is the embodiment of serenity. The man was once set upon by a beast that took his arm off, but then he’s beat her, leaving her fuming and looming behind him. No one who sees Franz, except for one person, has seen him beat her, her fuming and dooming behind him. Franz walks stif-legged, he carries his thick skull upright. Even though like the others he does nothing, he has such bright eyes. But the one – the one to whom he has done less than nothing – he asks: ‘What’s he want? He’s after something.’ He sees everything the others don’t see, and he understands everything. It shouldn’t be any skin off his nose, Franz’s muscular neck, his stiff legs, his sound sleep. But they bother him, he can’t keep quiet about them. He has to come up with some sort of answer. What?
Just as a gate opens sometimes to a puff of wind, and a mob of cattle runs out of a paddock. Or a fly torments a lion into lashing out and roaring hideously.
Or as a guard might take out a small key, fiddle an iron bolt, and a bevy of criminals can wander out, with murder, grievous bodily harm, breaking and entering, robbery with violence and statutory rape finding themselves at large.
•
Reinhold walks up and down in his room, and in his bar at Prenzlauer Tor, thinks back, thinks forward, thinks left and thinks right. And one day, when he knows Franz is with the plumber and they’re working on a new plan, wonder what that’ll come to, he decides he’ll pay Mitzi a little call.
And she catches her first sight of the man. There’s nothing to him very much, Mitzi, you’re quite right, not bad-looking, the fellow, a bit sad, a bit floppy, perhaps a bit ill, a touch liverish maybe. But not bad.
Now take a closer look at him, give him your hand and take a look at his face when you do it. That face, little Mitzi, is more important to you than every other face in the world, more important than Eva’s, more important even than your dearly beloved Franz’s. He’s coming up the stairs now, it’s a nothing sort of day, Thursday, 3 September, take a look, you don’t feel anything, don’t know anything, no premonition of anything.
What is in store for you anyway, little Mitzi from Bernau? You’re in good health, earning money, you love your Franz, and that’s why coming up the stairs now and standing in front of you and fiddling with your hand is Franz’s destiny and – now – yours as well. Actually, you don’t need to take a close look at his face, just his hands, his two hands, two nothing hands in grey kid gloves.
Reinhold is all togged up, and first of all Mitzi doesn’t know how to behave with him, whether Franz maybe sent him along, or it could be Franz setting a trap for her, but that can’t really be. Then he out and tells her that Franz is not to know he came calling, that’s something Franz is very sensitive about. It’s because he Reinhold wants to have a word with her, and that’s a little difficult with Franz around, with his arm out of commission, and whether he needs to work, that’s the question that’s on everybody’s mind. Now Mitzi is not slow, and she knows what Herbert said Franz is about, and she says: no, earning money for the sake of it, no, that’s not something he has to do, there are people who will help him out. But maybe that’s not enough for him, after all a man wants to make something of himself. Reinhold says: that’s quite right, so he does. Just it’s not easy to do what they do, it’s no ordinary work, people with two good arms find it hard. And so the conversation goes back and forth, Mitzi’s not really sure what he wants, then Reinhold up and asks her to pour him a drink after all: he just wanted to ascertain what their financial circumstances were, and if that’s the way it is, then they’ll surely look out for him, of course they will. And then he has another, and he asks: ‘Do you know about me, miss? Did he never tell you about me?’ ‘No,’ she says, now what’s he up to, I wish Eva was here, she’s better at these kind of conversations than I am. ‘You see, we palled around together for a long time, Franz and me, it was before you showed up, and there were other girls, you know, like Cilly.’ Perhaps that’s what he’s doing, he wants me to think badly of Franz with his one arm: ‘Well, why shouldn’t he have been out with other girls. I had a different feller too, but I’m with Franz now.’
They sit facing each other, Mitzi on the chair, Reinhold on the sofa, and they’re both nicely at ease: ‘Oh, of course you’re wif him now, miss, you surely don’t think I’m trying to oust him in your affections, I’d do no such thing. But there were funny things transpired between him and me, did he never tell you?’ ‘Funny? What do you mean funny?’ ‘Oh, very funny things, miss. I’ll be open with you: if Franz is in our gang, you know, it’s purely on my account, just for that and our history together; because you know we always kept together, through thick and thin. I could tell you some stories.’ ‘I daresay. Now, don’t you have a job to go to, that you can just sit here and talk to me all day?’ ‘Now miss, don’t you know even the Almighty sometimes took a day off, and that means we humans are allowed at least two.’ ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if you took three.’ They both laugh. ‘Ah, you may be right; I like to save my strength, laziness lengthens life, other times you need too much strength.’ Then she smiles at him. ‘In that case, you’d better economize.’ ‘You understand, miss. One man is one way, another is another. So here’s the thing, miss, Franz and I, we always swapped our women. What do you say to that?’ And he tilts his head to one side, sips at his drink, and waits to hear what the little thing replies. She’s a nice-looking bit, we’ll have her soon enough, and th
en won’t I just pinch her little bottom.
‘You should tell your gran that one about swapping women. Someone told me one time that they like to do that in Russia. You must be from there, because we don’t have that kind of carry-on here.’ ‘But I’m telling you.’ ‘Well, I think it’s a load of nonsense.’ ‘You should ask Franz about it.’ ‘Must have been nice women, I must say, maybe fifty-pfennig hussies, from the shelter or something.’ ‘Now, miss, watch your tongue, that’s really not our style.’ ‘So what kind of stunt are you trying to pull here? What exactly do you have in mind?’ Oh, look at her. But she’s nice, she’s sticking by him, sweet. ‘Oh no, miss, no intentions. Just wanted to pass on some information (sweet thing, hanky-panky Pankow punk), Pums gave me some instructions, well, and so I guess I’ll be cutting along now, perhaps you’d like to come by see us one evening, our mob?’ ‘Well, if you like to tell stories like that.’ ‘No harm, miss, I thought you knew all that anyway. Oh, and there’s one other piece of business. Pums said that if I go up and see you and you ask me about money and so on, where Franz is sensitive on account of his arm, then you’re not to tell him. Franz doesn’t need to know. I could have asked around in the house and so on, but I thought why go sneaking around. You’re here, and I’ll just go straight up and see you and ask.’ ‘You want me not to tell him?’ ‘Yes, it’s best you don’t. Mind you, if you really want to, there’s nothing we can do about it. Up to you. Well, be seeing you.’ ‘The door’s on the right.’ She’s a nice piece, we’ll have her all right, tata.
So little Mitzi in the room by the table, didn’t see anything, didn’t notice anything, and thinks, when she sees the glass standing there – well, what does she think, something or other, all right, and she tidies the glass away and she doesn’t know anything about anything. I’m so wrought up, that fellow got me so wrought up, I’m just shaking all over. He’s full of it. What did he want, what did he want. Looks at the glass in the cupboard, it’s the one at the back, I’m shaking, I’m going to sit down, no, not on the sofa, he’s set there. I’m so wrought up, what’s the matter with me, both arms and my bosom, I’m shaking like a leaf. Franz isn’t that sort of lowlife, swapping women. Wouldn’t surprise me with that fellow Reinhold, but Franz – if there’s anything to it at all, I expect they just let him be the mug.
She bites her nails. If there’s anything to it: yes, but Franz is a bit slow, he’s someone to be taken advantage of. That’s why they threw him out of the car. That’s the sort they are. Those are the people he thinks are his friends.
She bites and bites her nails. Tell Eva? I’m not sure. Tell Franz? Not sure either. I’ll not tell anyone. No one’s been here.
She feels ashamed, puts her hands down on the table, bites her knuckle. It doesn’t help, there’s still the burning feeling in her throat. After, they’ll do what they want with me anyway, they’ll sell me too.
A hurdy-gurdy man sets up in the courtyard: I lost my heart in Heidelberg. I’ve gone and lost mine too, and now it’s wrecked, and she sits hunched over and wails, it’s all broken, I haven’t got another one, I’m helpless, and if they decide to drag me through the dirt, there’s nothing I can do about it. But my Franz won’t do that, he’s no Russkie wife-swapper, all that’s just so much nonsense.
She is standing in front of the open window in a blue-check dressing gown, and joins in the hurdy-gurdy man’s rendition: I lost my heart in Heidelberg (it’s a false society, he’s quite right to want to smoke them out) one balmy summer night (why doesn’t he come home, I’ll run downstairs to meet him). I was head over heels in love. (I won’t say a word to him, I won’t confront him with so much vileness, not one word, not one word. I love him so much. Well, I’d best put on my blouse then.) And like a rosebud the smile on her mouth. And when we said goodbye outside the gates, on the occasion of our farewell kiss, then I recognized it (and it’s true too what Herbert and Eva like to say: the Pumses have twigged that something’s going on, and they just want to go to me to check if there’s anything to it or not, well, they can listen for as long as they like, they’d better find some other woman), that I lost my heart in Heidelberg, my heart, it beats on the shores of the Neckar.
Dazzling harvest in prospect, but miscalculations have been known to happen
Goes around, goes around, keeps going round, the fullest calm and peaceableness to you. You can do what you like with the boy, he’ll always land on his feet. There’s some that are like that. There was one in Potsdam, in Gorke near Anklam, name of Bornemann, escapes from prison, gets to the River Spree. There’s someone bobbing about in the water.
‘Scoot up, Franz. So what about it, what’s your girl’s name anyway?’ ‘She’s Mitzi, as you know perfectly well, Reinhold, used to go by Sonia.’ ‘And I guess you won’t bring her round. Too good for us, is she.’ ‘Come on, I don’t have a menagerie, I don’t need to show her off. She walks the streets. She’s got her admirer, and she brings home a good bit of money.’ ‘Just you don’t like for us to see her.’ ‘What are you talking about, Reinhold. The girl’s got work to do.’ ‘You could bring her along sometime. She’s supposed to be a looker.’ ‘They say.’ ‘I wouldn’t mind seeing her. You got anything against it?’ ‘Ach, Reinhold, we used to do stuff like that in the past, you know, over boots and fur collars and whatnot.’ ‘So that’s finished, is it?’ ‘Yes, that’s finished. I’m not interested in swinishness like that any more.’ ‘It’s all right, don’t get het up, I was only asking.’ (The bastard, the way he still refers to swinish this and that. You wait, boy.)
So, as Bornemann’s approaching the water, there was this fresh corpse bobbing about. And light-bulbs went on in Bornemann’s head. Out of his pocket he pulled his papers, and reassigned them. It’s been written about already, but it’s a useful aide-mem. Then he tied the body to a tree, it would have floated free and you might have had trouble finding it. For his part, he hopped on the local to Stettin, got a ticket, and when he gets into Berlin he calls his old lady from a bar, she’s to come quick, there was someone waiting for her. She came with money and a change of clothes, he whispered something to her, then he had to leave again, oh no. She promised to have someone identify the stiff, he would send her money as and when he had any, as if. Then he had to hurry away, otherwise someone else’ll find the boday.
‘That’s all I wanted to know, Franz. I guess you’re very fond of her.’ ‘Now leave off this talk of girls and such nonsense.’ ‘I’m just establishing some ground rules here, don’t bite my head of.’ ‘I’m not biting yer head off, Reinhold, just, you know, you’re a bit of no good.’ Franz laughs, and so does the other man. ‘Now what about your little lady, Franz. Can you really not see your way to showing her me.’ (What a wag you are, Reinhold, you threw me out of the car, but now you’re all over me.) ‘Now, what is it you want, Reinhold?’ ‘Nothink. Just have a look at her.’ ‘You wanna see if she likes me? I tell you, her heart beats for me from head to toe, that girl. It’s all she’s got room for, liking and sweetness. You know, Reinhold, you can’t imagine how besotted she is. You remember Eva, don’t you?’ ‘Course. Come on.’ ‘See, and what Mitzi wants . . . ach, what’s the use.’ ‘What? Tell me.’ ‘No, I couldn’t possibly, but that’s the way she is, you’ve never come across the like, Reinhold, I’ve not come across it in all my born days.’ ‘What’s this thing you’re not saying. With Eva?’ ‘All right, but keep it under your hat, what she wants, Mitzi, is for Eva to have a baby wiv me.’
•
Boom boom. They sit there and look at each other. Franz smacks his thigh and bursts out laughing. Reinhold smiles, or begins to smile and gets stuck part-way.
So then our man, Finke, he goes to Gorke and enters the wet fish business. One fine day along comes his stepdaughter, she’s in service in Anklam, and she wants to buy some fish, she walks up to Finke with her shopping bag in her hand and says.
Reinhold smiles, or begins to smile and gets stuck part-way: ‘Is she queer or something?’ Franz smacks his thigh some
more and giggles. ‘No, she just loves me.’ ‘I’m sure that’s not the case.’ (Such a thing exists, and the fool has it, and makes a joke of it.) ‘What does Eva say about it?’ ‘Well, they know each other, they’re friends, in fact it’s through Eva that I met Mitzi.’ ‘Now, you’ve whetted my appetite, Franz. Tell me if I can’t get to see Mitzi, maybe at a range of twenty yards, or through a grille, if you’re that nervous about it.’ ‘I’m not the least bit nervous! She is so true and golden, you have no idea. You remember I told you once that you need to stop seeing all those girls, it’s not good for your health, even if you have nerves of steel it’s too much. You’ll end up getting a stroke. You need to pull yourself together, it’d do you the world of good. You should see how right I am, Reinhold. All right, I’ll show her to you sometime.’ ‘But she’s not to see me?’ ‘Why not?’ ‘No, I don’t want her to. Just point her out to me.’ ‘OK, we’ll do it. Oh, I’m looking forward to it. It’ll do you good.’
And then it’s three in the afternoon, Franz and Reinhold are walking down the street, enamel signs of every type, enamelware, German and genuine Persian rugs, in twelve monthly payments, floorings, sofa and table coverings, quilts, curtains, blinds, Leisner & Co., do you subscribe to Fashion, if not, demand your copy, completely free, delivered by next post, beware, danger, high tension. They walk into Franz’s house. Now you’re walking into my house: I’m all right, nothing can touch me, you can see the way I stand there, my name is Franz Biberkopf.
‘Tread softly, I’ll just open the door and see if she’s in. No. Anyway, here is where I live, and she’ll be back any minute. Oh, you should see us, it’s like summin at the theatre, but keep nice and quiet.’ ‘You bet I will.’ ‘The best thing is, you lie down in the bed, Reinhold, it’s not in use during the day, I’ll be sure she doesn’t go in there, and then you can peep out through the net curtain. Lie down there. Can you see?’ ‘Sure I can. But I ought to take me boots off.’ ‘Good idea. I’ll put them out in the corridor for you, and you can pick them up later, when you go.’ ‘Oh Franz, I hope everything works out.’ ‘Are you worried? You know, I’m not even worried if she does see you, heck, let her.’ ‘No, I don’t want to meet her.’ ‘Well, lie down anyway. She’ll be along any minute.’